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4 


HISTORY 


or 


ARCHITECTURE. 


HISTORY 

OF 

ARCHITECTURE, 


Till!  KAULIEST  TIMES; 

ITS  PRESENT  CONDITION 

IN  EUROPE  AND  THE  UNITED  STATES; 

WITH 

2,  Diograpl)!!  of  (Eminent  ;3lrcl)itcits, 
AND  A  GLOSSARY  OF  ARCHITECTUKAE  TEKMS. 
BY  MRS.  L.  C.  TUTHILL. 

WITH  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

-  IIi'liolil  \U»'.4-  Itrok'  H  nn  iu  *.  llint  <>ri>-l  all  uiijtlUMl. 
That  (-rip|il)-i|  hrn*  of  c><\  initm  lilrnrliinK  in  tlx*  piin. 
Thi«  <l(  lir.n«>  Nhaft  mrirkrn  iniilway.  ami  the  fijriiir  liiitir.-.* 
IJly  ••tri-trliiiijj  r.irtli  in  li  ilil  up  tiin<-il  i»>  . " 

M.  F.  T.  rr>R 

-  Hnnir  prctt'twl  to  jiiiU(<*  of  an  inJiviiliinl  by  Inn  lian<l\\ntinc ;  l>iil  I  womI4 
rather  aay.  show  mo  iiia  tiouac.'  "— lx>«ii)0!«  .\n«  iiitrcti  ral  M«fliBi?tK. 


IMII  L  A  I)  K  I.PIII  A: 
LINDSAY  AND  HE.\KISTON. 
1848. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1847, 

By  Lindsay  and  Blakiston, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of 
Pennsylvania. 


/ 


c. 


SHERMAN,  PRINTER, 

19  St.  James  Street. 


TO  THE  LADIES 

or 

THE   t  NITED   STATES  OF  AMERICA, 
THE    ACKNOWLEDGED    ARBITERS    OF  TASTE, 

I)  i  3  111  0  r  k 

I.s   RESPECTFULLY  INSCRIBED. 


\ 


PREFACE. 


The  i>crccpii(jn  of  the  beautiful,  is  among  the  noblest  of  God's 
gifts  to  man.  When  improved  by  culture,  it  diffuses  over  the  poor 
wants  of  human  nature  a  glory,  like  sunlight  upon  the  dark  and 
frozen  earth. 

The  peasant  of  the  genial  South,  trains  the  jessamine  over  his 
rude  porch,  and  beneath  it,  after  the  weary  labour  of  the  day,  enjoys 
the  "  stilly  eve." 

The  Swiss  mountaineer  hangs  his  picturesque  chalet  amid  the 
embowering  tret's  of  his  native  Alps,  and  its  b<auty  delights  the 
passing  traveller. 

With  the  same  earnest  longing  for  the  beautiful,  the  man  of  wealth 
calls  in  the  aid  of  Art,  to  decorate  his  more  lofty  dwelling-place. 

But  not  alone  the  home  of  man  must  minister  to  his  love  of  the 
beautiful ;  the  Temple,  which  he  consecrates  to  the  worship  of  his 
Creator,  must  rear  its  stately  columns  and  spread  its  overarching 
vault,  to  form  a  fit  sanctuary  for  holy  thoughts  and  heavenward 
aspirations. 

As  society  advances,  all  the  edifices  which  the  multiplied  wants 
of  civilized  life  demand,  must  be  beautified;  hence  arises  Decorative 
Architecture. 

Every  person  has  an  individual  interest  in  Architecture  as  a  use- 
ful art,  and  all  who  cultivate  a  taste  for  the  Fine  Arts  must  give  it  a 
high  place  among  them.    The  best  way  of  effecting  improvement  in 


viii 


PREFACE. 


any  art  or  science,  says  Alison,  "  is  to  multiply  as  far  as  possible 
those  who  can  observe  and  judge." 

On  this  principle,  an  able  writer  in  the  Foreign  Quarterly  Review, 
strenuously  recommends  that  ladies  should  cultivate  a  taste  for  Ar- 
chitecture. He  says,  "  When  we  consider  how  wide  is  the  province, 
how  influential  the  authority  which  the  sex  are  apt  to  claim  in  such 
matters,  how  much  depends  upon  the  refined  taste  of  our  fairer 
halves^  it  must  be  acknowledged,  that  to  initiate  them  into  this  study 
would  not  be  an  act  of  perfect  disinterestedness."  This  writer  con- 
siders a  taste  for  Architecture  as  adding  to  the  innocent  pleasures 
of  life  as  much  as  a  taste  for  flowers,  or  furniture^  and  as  suitable 
for  women  as  a  knowledge  of  Chemistry  or  Astronomy. 

To  the  "painter^  the  'poet^  the  sculptor^  and  the  novelist,  to  the 
traveller,  to  the  reader  and  the  writer  of  books  of  travels  and  history, 
some  acquaintance  with  Architecture  is  indispensable.  This  Art 
has  the  advantage  over  painting  and  sculpture  in  one  respect, — its 
treasures  are  open  to  all — free  as  air ;  its  illustrations  stand  upon 
the  hill  and  in  the  vale ;  in  the  crowded  street  and  in  the  wooded 
glen. 

The  study  of  ancient  Architecture,  is  the  study  of  history.  It 
reveals  the  religion,  government,  social  institutions,  science  and 
art  of  the  mighty  past.  Its  monuments  have  perpetuated  the  names 
and  deeds  of  the  great,  when  the  perishable  materials  to  which  they 
were  committed  in  writing,  have  been  swept  away  by  the  wings  of 
Time.  What  sublime  emotion  fills  the  mind,  when  contemplating 
the  structures  which  may  have  been  revered  as  antiquities,  by  the 
Patriarch  Abraham,  as  he  gazed  upon  them  and  mourned  over  the 
idolatry  of  Egypt !  What  a  quickened  sense  of  the  beautiful  steals 
over  the  perceptions,  while  admiring  the  glory  of  Greece,  in  her 
Parthenon  i  What  intense  interest  is  experienced  while  tracing  the 
rise  and  progress  of  a  new  and  beautiful  mode,  as  the  Art  adapts 
itself  to  the  pure  and  holy  worship  of  Christianity  ! 


PREFACE. 


is 


Goethe  says,  '*  The  influence  which  flows  upon  us  from  Architec- 
ture, is  like  that  from  music;"  and  Coleridge  calls  it,  "  frozen  music." 

To  the  young  men  of  our  country.  Architecture  offers  a  lucrative 
and  honourable  profession.  Instead  of  devoting  so  large  a  propor- 
tion of  talent  and  active  energy  to  the  three  learned  professions,  and 
to  commercial  pursuits,  it  is  high  time  to  direct  them  into  other 
channels.    This  Art  opens  a  fair  field  for  laudable  ambition. 

The  history  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  Architecture  in  other 
nations,  should  excite  effective  emulation. 

"  Emulation  and  Endeavour  : — 
To  freemen,  labour  ia  renown  " 

The  immense  resources  f()r  building  in  the  United  States,  will  be 
profitably  and  tastefully  approj)rinted,  whenever  the  people  them- 
selves have  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  Art,  to  r  niploy  and  remuae- 
rate  scientific  architects. 

The  limits  of  this  work  will  not  allow  a  description,  or  even  the 
mention,  of  many  edifices  in  the  United  Stales,  which  arc  an  honour 
to  the  architects  and  their  employers  ;  the  few  specimens  given, 
may  be  compared  to  those  which  a  lecturer  on  science  collects  upon 
his  table,  merely  for  illustration. 

A  few  of  the  introductory  pages  of  this  History  of  Architecture 
were  published  anonymously,  some  years  since.  No  apology  is 
off«'red  for  giving  the  entire  Inxik  to  the  Public  ;  as  nothing  of  the 
kind  has  hitherto  appeared,  it  is  hoped  that  it  will  be  an  acceptable 
addition  to  every  family  library.  Much  time  and  labour  have  been 
expended  u|)on  it,  and  the  most  humble  apc^logics  would  be  offered 
for  its  execution,  could  they  but  shield  from  that  severity  of  criticism, 
which  the  author  earnestly  deprecates. 

L.  C.  T. 

Philadelphia,  November.  1847. 


NOTE. 


The  Bank  of  North  America,  (Plate  XXXIV.) 
The  design  for  this  engraving  was  not  received 
in  time  for  the  description  to  appear  in  its  proper 
place,  among  the  public  buildings  of  Philadel- 
phia. The  edifice  is  now  being  erected.  It  is  of  red 
sandstone,  commonly  called  freestone ;  one  of  the 
best  materials  for  architecture  which  this  country 
affords.  The  windows  and  doorway  are  in  remarkably 
fine  style.  The  foundation  and  corner-stones  in  rus- 
tic, and  the  richly-ornamented  cornice,  add  to  the 
bold  expression  and  effective  character  of  this  beauti- 
ful edifice.    John  Notman,  architect. 


LIST  OF  ENGRAVINGS. 


The  Pyramid  of  Cheops  

Kntrance  to  Luxor  

The  Propyla  a  of  the  Temple  of  Edfou  

The  Pronaos  of  the  Temple  of  Dendera  

Indra  .Subba  

Rlephanta  

A  Chinese  Pagoda  ' 

A  Chinese  Dwelling-House  i 

Casa  del  (lobertiador  i 

A  Mexican  Teocallia  i 

The  Erect  he  11  m  

The  Parthenon  

The  Lantern  of  Demosthenes  % 

The  Temple  of  Jupiter  % 

Arch  of  Titus   104 

The  Pantheon   104 

Atrium  of  a  Roman  House   r. 

Portico  at  Lorsch   1- 

Mosque  of  St.  Sophia   1, 

Hall  of  Justice;  Alhambra   1. 

The  Ancient  Church  of  Reculver   1 

Church  of  Si.  Eiirnnc  1 

Peterborough  Cathedral  !■ 

An  Irish  Round  Tower  1 

Rochester  Castle  1 

Lombardic  Church  at  Cologne  1 

Interior  of  York  Minster  1 

York  Minster  I 

Interior  of  King's  College  Chapel  I: 

Interior  of  llolyrood  Chapel  li 

St.  Peter's  Cathedral,  Rome  1 

St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  London  I 

The  New  Church,  Roigaie,  England  3 

The  Chapel  at  Monument  Cemetery,  Philadelphia  2i 

Swedes  Church.  Wilmmgion,  Delaware  2 

Trinity  Church.  New  York    3 


xii  LIST  OF  wo  OD-CUTS. 

Girard  College  for  Orphans,  Philadelphia,  (Frontispiece)  264 

The  Athenaeum  at  Philadelphia  266 

The  Athenaeum  at  Hartford,  Connecticut  269 

Yale  College  Library  271 

Bute  Cottage  284 

Glenn  Cottage  286 

Mansion  of  James  Dundas,  Esq.,  Philadelphia  288 

Mansion  of  Matthew  Newkirk,  Esq.,  Philadelphia  300 

Entrance  to  the  Cemetery  at  New  Haven  337 

Bank  of  North  America,  Philadelphia  338 


LIST  OF  WOOD  CUTS. 

Primitive  Dwelling-House  21 

Column  and  Entablature  38 

Egyptian  Capital  41 

Egyptian  Capitals  42 

Egyptian  Capital  42 

Column  from  the  Temple  of  Isis  42 

Column  from  Elephanta  48 

Persian  Capital  56 

Persian  Base  56 

Ornament  from  the  Casa  del  Gobemador  74 

Aboriginal  Arch  76 

Capital  and  Entablature,  Doric  Order  85 

Capital  and  Entablature,  Ionic  Order  92 

Echinus,  Ionic  Order  92 

Capital  from  the  Temple  of  Erectheus  93 

Acanthus,  Corinthian  Order  94 

Capital  and  Entablature,  Corinthian  Order  95 

Tuscan  Capital  and  Entablature  102 

Composite  Capital  and  Entablature  102 

Roman  Ionic  Capital  and  Entablature  103 

Plan  of  a  Romanesque  Church  135 

Doorway  of  the  Saxon  Style  138 

Ornamented  Doorway,  Saxon  Style  139 

Origin  of  the  Gothic  Style  152 

Early  English  Gothic  Window  155 

Clustered  Capital  of  the  Early  English  Gothic  Style  155 

Decorated  Gothic  Window  156 

Decorated  Gothic  Window,  Flamboyant  156 

Quadrangular  Pier,  Gothic  Style  157 

Perpendicular  Gothic  Window  158 

Gothic  Ornament  164 

Window  from  the  Palazzo  Giraud,  Rome  193 


L  I  S  T  O  F  VV  0  O  D  -  C  U  T  S.  xui 

New  England  Meeting-House   242 

Cottage  in  the  English  Style  275 

Front  riew  276 

Ornee  279 

Swiss  280 

Cottage  in  the  Grecian  Style  282 

Modernized  (Jothic  Style  283 

An  Elizabethan  Villa,  the  Country  Seat  of  Gerard  Halleck,  Esq  284 

The  Residence  of  Roger  Sherman  Baldwin,  Esq.,  New  Haven  285 

A  Rural  Play  House  286 

A  small  (iarden  House  287 

A  Rustic  Arbour  287 

A  Pump  House   288 

A  Parish  Churcli  297 

English  Villa,  Elizabethan  Style  307 

Bay  Window,  (Jothic  Style    309 

Window  from  the  Palazzo  Medici,  Rome    310 

Old  Englinh  Chimney  311 

Old  EngliHh  Chimney  311 

English  School-House,  Elizabethan  Styl«  313 

Acanthus   381 

Circular  Arch  382 

Rampant  Arch  382 

Horseshoe  Arch    383 

Lancet  Arch    383 

Equilateral  Arch  383 

Tudor  Arch  *.  383 

Ogee  Arch  388 

Cintjupfoil  Arch  383 

Romanesque  Arch  384 

Gothic  Bay  Window  385 

Ornamented  Bracket  385 

Battlement  385 

Gothic  Canopy    386 

Egyptian  Capital    386 

Clustered  Column  ,    387 

Clustered  Capital  388 

Capital  and  Entablature.  Composite  Order  388 

Corinthian  Capital  and  Entablature  389 

Cottage  Orn^  389 

Finial  Crocket  390 

Decorated  Ciiihic  Window    3«K) 

Doric  Capital  and  Entablature  391 

F'gyptiaii  Capital*  392 

Egyptian  Column  392 

Echinus  392 

Early  English  Gothic  Window  392 

Flamboyant  Gothic  Window    393 

Hindoo  Column    395 

Intersecitng  Archea   .395 


xiv  LIST  OF  WOOD- CUTS. 

Ionic  Capital  396 

Ionic  Capital  and  Entablature  396 

Corinthian  Modillion  398 

Gothic  Niche  399 

An  Oriel  .399 

Gothic  Pendant  400 

Perpendicular  Gothic  Window  400 

Persian  Capital  401 

Greek  Pilaster  401 

Pinnacle  401 

Gothic  Pulpit  403 

Quatrefoil  403 

Roman  Ionic  Capital  and  Entablature  404 

Romanesque  Doorway  404 

Transept  407 

Gothic  Turret  407 

Tuscan  Capital  and  Entablature  408 

Vane  408 

Ornamented  Window  of  Bramante  409 

Ornamented  Window   409 


/ 


C  0  N  T  E  i\  T  S . 


CHAPTER  I. 

ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS  OF  ARCHITECTURE. 

( .'ivil  Architccturn — Caves — Huts — Wigwams — Tcnls — IViini- 
tivc  House — Tower  of  Babel — Babylon — Niiicveh      -       •  17 

CHAPTER  II. 

EUVPTIAN  AR(  HITECTURE. 

Pyramids — Olxjiisks — Temples — Luxor — Camac — Alexandria 
— Character  of  Egyptian  Art  ------  27 

CH  A  P  T  E  R  III. 

HINDOO  ARCHITECTURE. 

Klephanta — Salsette — Ellora — Temples — Pagodas        -       .  47 
C  H  A  P  T  E  R   I  V. 

PERSIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

Persepolis— The  Tomb  of  Darius  55 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  V. 

JEWISH  ARCHITECTURE. 

Solomon's  Temple — The  Temple  as  rebuilt  by  Herod    -       -  59 
CHAPTER  Vr. 

CHINESE  ARCHITECTURE. 

The  Great  Wall — Houses — Pagodas  64 

CHAPTER  VII. 

ABORIGINAL  OR  AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

Mexico — Central  America — Arches  67 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

CYCLOPEAN  AND  ETRUSCAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

The  Etruscan  Arch,  &c.  -^79 

CHAPTER  IX. 

GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

The  Orders — Doric  Order — The  Parthenon  at  Athens — Pges- 
tum — Ionic — Temple  of  Erectheus  at  Athens — Diana,  &;c. 
— Corinthian — Temple  of  Jupiter  Olympus — Monument  of 
Lysicrates — Pilasters — Caryatides — Persians — Domestic  Ar- 
chitecture of  the  Greeks  82 

CHAPTER  X. 

ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

Rudeness  of  Early  Roman  Art — The  Arch — The  Tuscan  Order 


CONTENTS. 


xvii 


— The  Composite  Order — Public  Roads — Aqueducts — Tem- 
ples— Tombs  —  Triumphal  Arches — Monuments — Baths — 
Theatres — Basilicae — Forums  100 

CHAPTER  XL 

ARCHITECTURE  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 

Arabian  or  Saracenic — The  Alhambra       •       -       •  -128 
C  II  A  P  TE  R  XI  I. 

THE  ROMANESQUE  OR  LOMBARDIC,  THE  bAXON  AND  NORMAN. 

Norman  in  England — Romanesrjue  in  Ireland,  Scotland,  Ger- 
many, France,  Italy  134 

C  II  A  P  T  i:  r'  XIII. 

GOTHIC  OK  rolNTKD  AIU  HH  LC lUUK. 

Early  English — Decorated  and  I*er|>endicular  Styles — English 
Cathedrals — French,  Spanish,  German,  Portuguese  Cathe- 
drals— The  Gothic  in  Scotland — Melrose  Abbey        •       -  1-19 

C  II  A  P  T  K  R  X  I  V. 

DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 

England — Saxon  Timber  Buildings — Saxon  Castles — Norman 
Castles — Rochester  and  VV^indsor  Castles — Eml)attlcd  Man- 
sions— Iladdon  House — Oxburgh  Hall — Rage  for  Building 
in  the  Fillccnth  Century  170 


xviii 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

REVIVAL  OF  GRECIAN  AND  ROMAN   ARCHITECTURE  IN  THE  FIFTEENTH 

CENTURY. 

Revival  of  Classical  Literature  and  Taste — Brunileschi — St. 
Peter's— St  Paul's — Venetian  and  Florentine  Villas    -       -  185 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PRESENT  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE  IN  EUROPE. 

England — France — Munich — The  King  of  Bavaria — Germany 
— Russia — Spain,  &c.    -       -       -       -       •       -       -  196 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

PRINCIPLES  OF  ARCHITECTURE. 

Fitness — Expression — Proportion — Ornament       -       -       -  210 
CHAPTER  XVIII. 

QUALIFICATIONS  FOR  AN  ARCHITECT. 

Ingenuity — Education — Early  Choice — Travelling,  &c.  -       -  219 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

HISTORY  OF  ARCHITECTURE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Colony  of  Jamestown — Plymouth  Colony — New  Haven — New 
Amsterdam — Philadelphia  laid  out  like  Babylon,  by  William 
Penn — Meeting-Houses  of  New  England — Dwelling- Houses  228 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CAUSES  WHICH  RETARDED  THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  ART  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES. 

Struggle  for  Existence — The  French  War — Policy  of  England 
towards  the  Colonics — The  Revohition,  6:c. — Cultivation  of 
the  Fine  Arts  dependent  upon  tlic  People  •       -  I  "> 

CHAPTER  X  X  I. 

MATERIALS  FOR  BUILDING  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Rich  in  all  Materials — Granite — »*^ienite — MnrhK — Frc<*stonr, 
&c. — Metals — Woods — Cement       .....  \>r)U 


C  H  A  P  T  E  R  XXII. 

PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  ART  IN  AMERirA. 

Boston— New  York — Philadelphia  —  Baltimore — Washington, 
&c.,  *Sic.   -       -  -JOT 


C  H  A  P  T  E  R  \  X  I  I  I. 

DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

.\daptation  to  Climate,  Soil,  Mode  of  Life — Nationality — The 
Villa — Cottage — Town-House  •  -  •  JT 1 


C  H  A  P  T  E  R  XXI  V. 


USE  OF  THE  GRECIAN  ORDERS  AND  GOTHIC  STYLE  IN  PUBLIC 
BUILDINGS. 

Dangers  of  Imitation — Spires  to  Churches,  6:c.  -       .  289 


XX 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

USE  OF  THE  GRECIAN  ORDERS,  GOTHIC  AND  ELIZABETHAN  STYLES, 
IN  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE. 

Rage  for  Grecian  Porticoes — Rules  for  the  Elizabethan  Style, 
&c.  299 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A  RANDOM  CHAPTER  ON  WALLS,  CHIMNEYS,  WINDOWS,  ETC  308 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  AND  BEAUTIFYING  OF  TOWNS  AND 
VILLAGES. 

Trees  —  Shrubbery —  Public  Squares  —  Fountains  —  School- 
Houses,  &c.  314 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

CEMETERIES. 

Honouring  the  Dead — Monuments — Sepulchres — Mount  Auburn 
— Laurel  Hill,  &c.  331 

Chronological  Table  of  the  Principal  Architects  before 
AND  SINCE  the  Christian  Era  338 


Glossary  of  AfvChitectural  Terms 


-  881 


HISTORY  OF  AKCHITECTURE. 


CHAPTER  I 

ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS  OF  ARCHITECTURE. 

Architecture  is  both  an  essential,  and  an  orna- 
mental art.  While  society  is  in  its  infancy,  and 
strength  and  convenience  alone  are  regarded,  it  ranks 
with  other  mechanic  arts  necessary  to  tlie  com- 
fort of  man ;  i)iit,  when  it  adds  to  these,  beauty  of 
design,  or  a  regard  for  effect,  it  becomes  an  orna- 
mental or  fine  art,  taking  its  place  beside  the  sister 
arts,  poetry,  painting,  and  sculpture 

The  art  of  building,  in  its  widest  signitication,  in- 
cludes naval,  military,  and  civil  architecture. 

Civil  architecture,  comprehending  all  edifices  con- 
structed for  the  use  of  man  in  civil  life,  forms  the  topic 
of  the  present  work. 

In  that  advanced  condition  of  society,  to  which 
moral  and  intellectual  culture  has  given  form  and 
order,  buildings  are  required  for  religion,  education, 
legislation,  public  exercises,  amusements,  commerce, 

2 


18 


ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS 


manufactures,  for  perpetuating  heroic  deeds  and  histo- 
rical events,  and  for  domestic  life. 

Respecting  the  origin  and  early  practice  of  this  art, 
historical  testimony  affords  no  aid ;  some  shelter,  how- 
ever, has  been  necessary  for  the  comfort  and  protec- 
tion of  man  ever  since  his  creation. 

In  the  bland  and  healthful  air  of  Paradise,  Milton 
imagined  "  a  blissful  bower,"  as  the  dwelling-place  of 
our  first  parents. 

*'  It  was  a  place 
Chosen  by  the  Sovran  Planter,  when  he  framed 
All  things  to  man's  delightful  use ;  the  roof 
Of  thickest  covert  and  interwoven  shade, 
Laurel  and  myrtle,  and  what  higher  grew 
Of  firm  and  fragrant  leaf ;  on  either  side 
Acanthus  and  each  odorous  bushy  shrub 
Fenced  up  the  verdant  wall ;  each  beauteous  flower, 
Iris  all  hues,  roses  and  jessamine 

Reared  high  their  flourished  heads  between,  and  wrought 

Mosaic ;  underfoot  the  violet, 

Crocus  and  hyacinth  with  rich  inlay, 

Broidered  the  ground,  more  coloured  than  with  stone 

Of  costliest  emblem  ;  other  creature  here, 

Bird,  beast,  insect,  or  worm,  durst  enter  none, 

Such  was  their  awe  of  man." 

Alas !  how  soon  fallen  Adam  and  Eve  needed  a 
more  substantial  shelter  !  Expelled  from  lovely  Eden, 
the  first  man  probably  laboured  in  the  sweat  of  his 
brow,"  to  build  the  first  habitation. 

Every  invention  has  its  origin  in  the  wants  of  man. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


19 


As  the  human  mind  increases  in  power,  the  whole 
material  world  is  brought  under  its  dominion  and 
made  to  minister  to  physical  comfort  and  pleasure. 
Man  advances  by  slow  degrees  to  this  proud  elevation. 
It  matters  not,  in  this  connexion,  indeed  it  is  out  of 
our  province,  to  discuss  the  vexed  question  of  man's 
progress.    Art  is  progressive. 

Before  man  exercised  the  facuhy  of  invention  as  an 
architect,  he  may  have  crept  into  hollow  trees,  or  in- 
habited caves,  as  tenant  in  common  ^vith  the  beasts  of 
the  earth.  Trees,  with  their  wide-spreading  branches, 
offered  a  natural  shelter ;  by  twining  them  together  at 
the  top,  where  they  grew  at  a  convenient  distance 
apart,  and  filling  in  the  sides  with  branches,  something 
like  a  house  would  be  formed.  The  wigwams  of  our 
North  American  Indians  are  only  one  step  in  lulvance 
of  this  kind  of  shelter.  They  cut  down  the  trees, 
place  them  in  a  circular  form,  fasten  them  together  at 
the  top,  interweave  branches  to  fence  up  the  verdant 
wall,"  and  fill  the  interstices  with  clay. 

These  miserable  huts  do  not  equal  in  their  mecha- 
nical construction,  the  nest  of  the  oriole.  The  primi- 
tive huts  of  the  Caffres,  advance  one  step  farther. 
They  are  regular  domes,  covered  with  mud,  whicli 
hardens  in  the  sun.  The  doors,  or  holes  for  entrance, 
are  only  two  or  three  feet  high,  and  tlie  king  himself 
is  obliged  to  enter  his  regal  residence  "  on  all  fours." 
The  mud  structures  of  the  beaver  are  superior  to  them  ; 
but,  as  Dr.  Johnson  says,    the  beaver  of  the  present 


20 


ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS 


day  can  build  no  better  than  conld  the  beaver,  four 
thousand  years  ago." 

Tents  were  among  the  earliest  habitations.  They 
were  made  at  first  of  the  skins  of  animals,  afterwards 
of  felt  and  various  kinds  of  cloth. 

The  Patriarchs  of  the  Old  Testament  dwelt  in  tents, 

"  While  on  from  plain  to  plain  they  led  their  flocks, 
In  search  of  clearer  spring  and  fresher  field." 

On  each  green  and  chosen  spot,  these  portable  habita- 
tions could  be  spread  in  a  moment,  and  as  readily 
removed. 

The  Israelites,  during  their  wanderings  in  the  wil- 
derness, dwelt  in  tents.  Their  Tabernacle  for  religious 
worship  was  a  spacious  and  magnificent  tent,  divided 
into  three  parts.  Coverings  of  skins,  rendered  it  im- 
pervious to  rain  and  dampness.  The  first  or  inner 
covering,  was  of  "fine  twined  linen,"  wrought  with 
needlework  in  various  colours ;  the  second  covering  was 
of  goat's  hair;  the  third,  of  skins  dyed  red,"  and  the 
fourth,  of  "  skins  dyed  blue." 

Even  at  the  present  day, 

"  The  Arab  band 

Across  the  sand, 
Still  bear  their  dwellings  light, 

And  neath  the  skies 

Their  tents  arise, 
Like  spirits  of  the  night ; 

While  near  at  hand 

The  camels  stand, 
And  drink  the  waters  bright." 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


21 


It  was  a  mighty  step  in  the  art  of  building  when  trees 
were  smoothed  into  posts  and  placed  in  a  rectangular 
form,  with  a  covering  or  roof  over  them.  Simple  as 
this  invention  now  appears,  the  inventor  ought  to  have 
been  "  known  to  fame,"  for  houses  have  continued 
nearly  of  the  same  form  ever  since.  The  most  splendid 
Grecian  temple  is  only  an  ornamented  copy  of  the 
oblong  house  with  its  upright  posts. 


LoGT  cabins  were  used,  thousands  of  years  before 
they  were  built  by  American  backwoodsmen. 

In  the  rude  navigation  of  savages,  the  advance  from 
paddles  and  oars  to  sails,  was  not  greater  than  this 
stride  from  wigwams  and  mud  huts,  to  a  regular  log 
house. 

The  employment  of  stones  for  buildings,  was  ano- 
ther imporUmt  onward  step  in  the  art.  The  want  of 
stones  in  some  places,  and  the  difficulty  of  shaping 


22 


ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS 


them  into  the  forms  desired,  led  to  the  manufacture  of 
bricks,  by  reducing  a  mass  of  clay  to  a  regular  form, 
and  hardening  it  in  the  sun,  or  burning  it  with  fire. 
A  convenient  and  enduring  material  was  thus  obtained, 
which  has  continued  to  be  used  ever  since.  From 
the  only  authentic  record  of  this  period — the  Bible 
— we  learn,  that  the  city  and  tower  of  Babel  were 
built  of  brick.  The  ambitious  daring  of  some  mighty 
leader  projected  this  tower. 

''Go  to,"  said  he,  "let  us  make  brick,  and  burn 
them  throughly.  And  they  had  brick  for  stone,  and 
slime  had  they  for  mortar.  And  they  said,  Go  to,  let 
us  build  us  a  city,  and  a  tower,  whose  top  may  reach 
unto  heaven ;  and  let  us  make  us  a  name,  lest  we  be 
scattered  abroad  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth." 

This  presumptuous  undertaking  was  arrested,  after 
the  walls  had  been  raised  to  a  great  height,  by  one  of 
the  most  striking  miracles  recorded  in  Holy  Writ. 

"  Among  the  builders,  each  to  other  calls, 
Not  understood,  till  hoarse  and  all  in  rage ; 

 Thus  was  the  building  left 

Ridiculous,  and  the  work  Confusion  named." 


BABYLON. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  City  of  Babylon  and  the 
Temple  of  Belus  afterwards  occupied  the  same  site  as 
the  Tower  of  Babel  upon  the  plains  of  Shinar,  between 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


23 


the  rivers  Euphrates  and  Tigris.  It  was  founded 
B.C.  2000,  by  Nimrod,  and  was  rebuilt  by  Semiramis, 
B.C.  1200.  Strengthened  and  beautified  by  succeed- 
ing sovereigns,  it  became  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
world.  Walls,  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet  high, 
eighty-seven  feet  in  thickness,  and  sixty  miles  in 
length,  surrounded  this  city.  We  are  apt  to  be  some- 
what incredulous  about  these  measurements,  yet,  when 
so  many  stupendous  monuments  remain,  to  demon- 
strate the  power  and  skill  of  ancient  nations,  we  know 
not  where  to  fix  the  bounds  of  our  belief 

Eastern  writers,  in  tlieir  usual  hyperbohcal  manner, 
describe  the  Temple  of  Belus,  as  twelve  miles  liigh, 
while  St.  Jerome  more  moderately  asserts  that  it  was 
only  four  miles  in  height!  The  geographer  Strabo, 
who  may  perhaps  be  relied  on,  says  it  was  six  hundred 
and  sixty  feet  high. 

The  city  was  laid  out  in  regular  squares,  the  streets 
of  fifteen  miles  in  length  crossing  each  other  at  right 
angles.  Its  hundred  gates  of  brass  opened  at  the  end 
of  these  streets.  The  hanging  gardens  of  the  golden 
city"  gave  it  the  beauty  of  Paradise.  But  prophecy 
had  spoken  its  doom,  and  Babylon  the  Great  fell 
never  to  rise  again.  Travellers,  as  they  wander  over 
the  desolate  ruins,  startle  "  the  mole  and  the  bat"  from 
the  prostrate  temples  of  idolatry.  The  site  of  this 
.stupendous  city  has  been  identified,  and  confirmation 
thus  added  to  the  truth  of  prophecy.  Sir  Robert  Ker 
Porter,  who  visited  these  ruins,  gives  the  following 


24 


ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS 


account  of  the  present  condition  of  the  Temple  of 
Belus: — "It  is  an  immense  pile  of  ruins;  at  its  base 
it  measures  3082  feet  in  circuit ;  it  presents  two  stages, 
the  first  about  sixty  feet  high,  cloven  into  a  deep  ravine 
by  the '  rain,  and  intersected  by  the  furrows  of  ages ; 
the  second  ascent  is  about  two  hundred  feet;  from 
thence  to  the  top  thirty-five  feet.  On  the  western 
side,  the  entire  mass  rises  at  once  from  the  plain  in 
one  stupendous,  though  irregular  pyramidal  hill, 
broken  in  the  slopes  of  its  sweeping  acclivities  by 
time  and  violence.  On  the  north  side  there  are  large 
piles  of  ruins  of  fine  and  solid  brickwork,  projecting 
from  among  immense  masses  of  rubbish  at  the  base. 
The  remains  of  the  masonry  are  furnace-burnt  bricks, 
united  by  a  calcareous  cement.  The  base  of  the 
structure  was  not  altered,  but  the  piles  of  fine  bricks 
thrown  down  were  vitrified  with  the  various  colours. 
The  consuming  power  appears  to  have  acted  from 
above,  and  the  scattered  ruins  fell  from  a  higher  point 
than  the  summit  of  the  present  standing  fragment. 
The  heat  of  the  fire  which  produced  such  amazing 
effects  must  have  burned  with  the  force  of  the 
strongest  furnace.  I  should  be  inclined  to  attribute 
the  catastrophe  to  lightning  from  heaven." 

NINEVEH. 

Nineveh,  the  splendid  capital  of  the  Assyrian 
Empire,  was  sixty  miles  in  circuit,  and  surrounded 
by  high  walls. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


25 


Recent  discoveries  have  been  made  on  the  site  of 
this  ancient  city,  which  promise  to  open  a  new  volume 
of  historical  facts.  A  traveller  thus  writes  to  his 
friend  in  America : 

"The  principal  mound  (of  these  lately  discovered 
ruins)  is  very  large,  being  about  sixteen  hundred  feet 
in  length.  My  first  excavation  brought  me  on  walls 
with  inscriptions  of  the  cuneiform  character.  I  soon 
found  that  I  had  got  into  a  palace  that  had  been  buried 
for  many  centuries.  I  have  cleared  out  several  rooms, 
the  walls  of  which  are  covered  with  figures.  They 
are  religious  and  historical.  The  former,  the  lion 
with  the  head  of  a  man  and  the  wings  of  a  bird ;  the 
bull  with  similar  head  and  the  wings  of  the  eagle. 
The  historical  subjects  are  chiefly  interesting  for  the 
insight  they  afford  into  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  ancient  Assyrians,  their  m(Kle  of  warfare,  the  state 
of  the  arts,  &c.  From  an  examination  of  them,  there 
results  a  conviction  that  this  people  had  risen  to  the 
greatest  power;  that  they  were  highly  civilized,  and 
had  attained  a  very  remarkable  proficiency  in  the  fine 
art^." 

The  traveller  who  has  made  these  interesting  and 
invaluable  discoveries,  inclines  to  the  opinion  that  the 
Greeks  received  their  first  knowledge  of  the  arts  from 
the  Assyrians,  instead  of  the  Egyptians.  There  is, 
he  thinks,  more  similarity  between  these  remains  of 
Ninehvite  art  and  the  Grecian,  than  between  the 
Grecian  and  the  Egyptian. 


26 


ARCHITECTURE. 


"  Tyre  and  Sidon,  cities  of  Phoenicia,  probably  ex- 
celled in  the  arts  and  sciences  which  were  known  in 
the  more  distant  parts  of  Assyria.  We  know  that  the 
Tyrians  and  Sidonians  were  esteemed  among  the 
ancients  for  their  skill  in  astronomy,  arithmetic,  com- 
merce, and  navigation,  and  that  we  are  indebted  to 
them  for  the  invention  of  glass,  linen,  and  even  of 
letters.  May  we  not  conclude,  then,  that  a  people  so 
enlightened  had  arrived  at  some  excellence  in  the  fine 
arts ;  and  that  they  spread  a  knowledge  of  them  in  all 
their  colonies,  thus  laying  the  foundation  of  that  per- 
fection which  has  been  the  glory  of  Grecian  art?" 

Sacred  history  is  thus  constantly  being  verified  by 
the  discoveries  of  modern  travellers,  and  Prophecy  is 
confirmed.  We  rejoice  that  Sculpture  and  Archi- 
tecture were  so  skilfully  practised  in  bygone  ages, 
for  we  are  thus  put  into  communication  with  them, 
and  enjoy  a  retrospective  clairvoyance.  As  the  dis- 
coveries of  modern  geology  have  brought  to  light  ex- 
tinct races  of  gigantic  animals,  preserved  in  solid  rock, 
to  tell  us  what  wonders  have  been  in  the  natural 
world,  so  the  remains  of  art  reveal  to  us  the  power, 
knowledge,  religion,  and  character  of  races  of  men, 
and  remain  ''solemn  marks  of  the  frailty  of  human 
greatness." 


CHAPTER  II. 


E  G  Y  I»  T  I  A  N  A  R  C  H  I  T  E  C  T  U  R  E. 

The  accounts  of  the  few  travellers  who  long  ago 
visited  Asia  and  Africa,  were  ridiculed,  and  treated  as 
extravagant  fictions.  During  the  last  century,  and 
more  especially  since  the  commencement  of  the  pre- 
sent, the  investigations  of  learned  and  scientific  men 
have  more  than  verified  those  seemingly  incredible 
narratives.  Stupendous  edifices  remain,  to  demon- 
strate the  truth  of  those  wonderful  stories.  Structures 
of  surpassing  magnificence  astonish  the  tnuellers  in 
Egypt,  Ilindostan,  and  Persia.  When,  or  by  whom, 
these  everliistmu:  monuments  of  man's  mijjht  were 
erected,  the  present  inhabitants  of  these  countries  can- 
not inform  the  amazed  traveller.  Their  antiquity 
dates  back  to  a  period  shrouded  in  dark  uncertainty, 
upon  whicli  authentic  history  throws  no  light,  of 
which  they  are  themselves  the  only,  the  mysterious, 
the  indestnictible  records. 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  with  certainty  which 
of  the  three  countries,  just  mentioned,  first  brought 
Architecture  to  that  degree  of  excellence  which  these 
remains  exhibit.  Sir  William  Jones  and  some  other 
oriental  antiquaries  contend  for  the  superior  antiquity 


28 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


of  Hindostan,  and  assert  that  the  East  was  not  only 
the  birthplace  of  art  and  science,  but  that  they  were 
there  nurtured  till  they  grew  to  manhood.  This  may 
be  true,  but  there  is  also  strong  testimony  on  the  side 
of  Egypt.  From  that  land,  it  is  supposed  by  some 
learned  antiquaries,  that  inventive  genius  in  Archi- 
tecture arose,  and  thence  was  spread  throughout  the 
then  civilized  regions  of  the  earth.  Others  trace  it 
still  farther  down  the  Nile,  and  consider  Ethiopia  as 
the  land  from  which  light  emanated.^ 

Egypt  is  a  country  of  small  extent,  but  its  geogra- 
phical position,  and  geological  formation,  render  it 
capable  of  supporting  an  immense  population.  The 
river  Nile,  enriching  its  soil,  opens  a  passage  through 
its  whole  extent.  The  traveller  is  struck  with  wonder 
and  admiration,  at  the  number,  size,  and  magnificence 
of  the  structures  still  standing  upon  the  banks  of  that 
mysterious  river. 

"  Rent  palaces,  crushed  columns,  rifled  moles, 
Fanes  rolled  on  fanes,  and  tombs  on  buried  tombs." 

*  Les  Savans  of  France,  Gau  in  his  Nubia,  and  Callaud  in  his 
Journey  to  Meroe,  describe  the  monuments  of  Upper  Nubia  as  mas- 
sive, and  many  of  them,  magnificent.  It  is  supposed  that  Egyptian 
Architecture  was  only  an  imitation  or  improvement  upon  the  Ethio- 
pian. There  is  in  Herodotus  a  passage  to  this  effect :  *'  Meroe,  the 
parent  city  of  the  Ethiopians,  is  a  large  city.  The  people  worship 
only  Zeus  and  Dionysius,  (Ammon  and  Osiris,)  and  them  they 
honour  greatly ;  and  they  make  their  expeditions  whenever  the  deity 
by  his  oracular  answers  orders  them."  From  this  it  is  inferred 
that  the  Ethiopians  settled  colonies,  and  that  Egypt  was  one  of  them. 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


Egypt  contains  ancient  buildings  of  three  distinct 
characters :  pyramids,  excavations,  and  temples  or  pa- 
laces with  fiat  roofs,  supported  by  rows  of  columns. 

The  famous  pyramids  of  Egypt  stand  upon  a  plain 
which  extends  from  Cairo  about  fifty  miles  along  the 
Nile.  Forty,  or  more,  of  different  sizes,  and  of  various 
materials,  are  irregularly  scattered  over  this  plain  ; 
the  three  largest,  the  pyramids  of  Cheops,  of  Ce- 
phrenes,  and  of  Mycerines,  are  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Djiza. 

Tlie  great  pyramid  of  Cheops,  is  the  largest  struc- 
ture in  the  world ;  or  in  other  words,  it  is  the  greatest 
mass  of  materials  which  men  have  ever  placed  to- 
gether, to  form  a  single  building ;  and  one  of  our  dis- 
tinguished countrymen  says,  "the  oldest  pyramid  is 
yet  the  most  perfect  work  of  art."  It  has  stood  through 
the  moral  and  physical  convulsions  of  more  than 
thirty  centuries,  and  may  remain  until 

"  The  cloud-capt  towers,  the  gorgeous  palaces, 
The  solemn  temples,  the  great  globe  itself, 
Yea,  all  which  it  inherit,  shall  dissolve, 
And  like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision, 
Leave  not  a  rack  behind." 

This  pyramid  is  five  hundred  feet  in  height,  and 
seven  hundred  and  twenty  feet  on  each  side  of  the 
base;  thus  covering  518,400  square  feet.  It  is 
ascended  by  steps  to  the  summit,  which  is  a  platform 
of  nine  large  stones,  each  of  which  would  weigli  a  ton. 


30 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


Some  of  the  stones  in  other  parts  of  the  pyramid  are 
still  larger.  They  are  of  hewn  granite  and  limestone 
on  the  outside,  cemented  together  with  fine  mortar;  in 
the  interior  the  stones  are  so  nicely  smoothed  and 
fitted  together,  as  not  to  need  cement  of  any  kind. 
Machinery  of  immense  power,  of  which  all  knowledge 
is  lost,  must  have  been  employed  to  raise  these  stones 
to  such  an  amazing  height.  The  pyramid  is  ascended 
by  steps.* 

*  The  following  description  of  the  manner  of  ascending  the  Pyramid, 
is  from  "  Letters  from  the  Old  World,  by  a  Lady  of  New  York." 

"  When  about  to  ascend  the  great  Pyramid  of  Cheops,  we  were 
very  glad  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  services  of  another  tribe  of  Bedouins, 
who  reside  in  a  village  near  at  hand.  I  had  four  of  them  assigned 
to  me  as  conductors,  with  a  promise  of  a  good  backshee  in  case  they 
took  me  safely  to  the  top,  and  returned  me  again  where  they  found 
me.  The  gentlemen  had  each  two  to  attend  them.  The  effect  pro- 
duced upon  the  senses  when  standing  beside  a  wall  of  stone  eight 
hundred  feet  long  by  nearly  five  hundred  feet  high,  unbroken  by  co- 
lumns to  lighten  the  heavy  aspect  of  the  mass,  is  indeed  very  imposing ; 
but  before  I  had  time  to  reflect  on  the  danger  of  ascending,  the  gentle- 
men hurried  me  onward,  and  I  soon  found  myself  lifted  from  shelf  to 
shelf,  without  time  to  look  behind  me.  After  about  half  an  hour's 
climbing,  we  came  to  a  part  of  the  edifice  where  it  appears  attempts 
have  been  made  to  penetrate  the  interior,  and  a  large  chamber,  or 
rather  notch,  had  been  cut  in  one  of  the  angles.  Here  a  halt  was 
called,  and  all  gathered  to  this  point.  It  is  about  two-thirds  of  the  way 
to  the  top,  and  aflx)rds  quite  as  fine  a  view  as  that  from  the  summit. 
But  when  we  looked  down,  and  saw  the  precipice  below  us,  some  of 
our  hearts,  or  rather  nerves,  failed.  My  husband  persisted  that  1 
should  proceed  no  further,  and  prevailed  upon  me  to  return.   Early  the 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


31 


The  second  pyramid,  that  of  Cephrenes,  is  about 
four  hundred  feet  high,  and  six  hundred  and  sixty-five 

next  morning,  however,^he  ascended  to  the  top  in  a  very  few  minutes, 
and  enjoyed  the  fine  prospect  exceedingly.  The  gentlemen  cut  their 
names  on  the  summit,  but  I  was  obliged  to  content  myself  with  doing 
it  by  proxy,  as  did  Chateaubriand,  who,  when  at  Cairo,  left  Egypt 
without  going  at  all  to  the  Pyramids  !  which  in  so  sentimental  a 
traveller  seems  unpardonable.  He  requested  a  gentleman  on  the 
first  opportunity  to  inscribe  his  name  on  them,  adding,  '  in  order  to 
fulfil  all  the  duties  of  a  pious  traveller!' 

"  The  north  side  of  the  largest  pyramid  is  so  steep  as  to  be  dangerous 
of  approach.  A  short  time  since,  a  young  Englishman  was  precipitated 
from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  and  of  course  dashed  to  atoms.  Near 
the  bottom  the  layers  of  stone  are  about  four  feet  thick,  and  the  mode 
of  my  ascent  was  as  follows:  first,  an  Arab  got  down  on  his  hands 
and  knees,  thus  forming  a  sort  of  extra  step,  while  two  others 
mounted  on  the  edge  above,  and  giving  me  their  hand,  I  was  enabled, 
by  making  two  good  long  Taglioni'isms^  to  reach  the  place  where 
they  stood;  a  fourth  Arab  remained  always  behind  and  below  me,  to 
be  ready  in  case  I  made  a  false  step.  This  went  on  very  well  for  a 
short  time,  while  each  shelf  or  step  was  of  suflicient  width  to  permit 
the  placing  of  my  four-footed  stml,  but  frequently  the  steps  were 
not  more  than  six  inches  wide,  while  yet  they  were  four  feet  high, 
thus  rendering  the  fooling  very  insecure,  and  the  position  sufllciently 
alarming  for  weak  nerves.  In  such  cases  another  mode  of  proceeding 
became  necessary:  an  Arab  would  kneel  with  one  knee  and  present 
the  other  as  a  step,  the  one  below  holding  him  against  the  rock,  that 
he  might  not  topple  over.  At  about  half-way  from  the  ground,  the 
layers  of  stone  are  not  over  three  feet  thick,  and  from  thence  to  the 
top  they  diminish  gradually.  Difllcult  as  the  ascent  is,  it  is  as  nothing 
when  compared  with  the  descent.  In  the  first  operation,  the  face 
being  turned  to  the  wall,  neither  the  giddy  height  is  observctl,  nor  the 


32 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


feet  on  each  side  at  the  base.  The  enterprising  tra- 
veller, Belzoni,  discovered  the  entrance  to  this  pyra- 
mid, in  1818.  When  he  forced  his  way  to  the  interior, 
he  found  inscriptions  in  Arabic,  showing  that  the  pyra- 
mid had  been  entered  by  a  Saracen  conqueror  some 
centuries  before.  Nothing  of  great  value  has  been  dis- 
covered in  them  in  modern  times.  We  are  told  that 
under  one  of  the  Caliphs,  an  order  went  forth  for  the 
destruction  of  these  edifices,  and  that  the  work  was 
committed  to  one  of  the  most  skilful  engineers  of  the 
age.  He  wrought  at  it  for  a  long  time,  expending 
much  labour  and  treasure,  and  finally  gave  it  up.  Of 
course,  he  had  no  gunpowder.  The  engineer  began  at 
the  top ;  but  how  he  got  there,  up  the  smooth  plane 
of  five  hundred  feet,  is  beyond  comprehension,  unless 
by  cutting  a  flight  of  steps  from  the  bottom.  Nothing 
can  be  farther  from  the  truth  than  the  idea  that  there 
was  a  regular  series  of  steps  for  ascent  in  the  original 
plan  of  either  of  these  pyramids."    The  attempts  to 

tapering  point  for  which  one  is  aiming ;  the  whole  attention  being 
taken  up  with  the  matter  on  hand,  and  the  climber  being  hurried  on 
without  time  to  turn  around,  so  that  a  fearful  height  is  reached  before 
he  is  aware  of  it.  Curiosity  satisfied,  and  the  constant  excitement 
over,  the  descent  becomes  a  regular  matter  of  business.  On  looking 
down,  the  first  few  tiers  of  steps  are  quite  perceptible,  and  their  lines 
are  distinctly  marked,  but  all  lines  soon  become  confused,  and  nothing 
but  a  smooth  surface  is  visible  from  fifty  feet  in  advance  down  to  the 
very  ground.  At  first  the  stoutest  hearts  recoil  at  this  optical  delu- 
sion, but  gradually  gaining  assurance  as  they  descend,  they  get 
through  with  it  tolerably  well." 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


destroy  them,  or  to  effect  an  entrance,  have  uncovered 
these  steps. 

All  the  pyramids  are  finished  in  the  interior  with 
much  labour.  They  contain  many  long  and  intricate 
passages,  the  walls  of  which  are  sculptured  and  painted, 
the  colours  remaining  as  fresh  as  if  recently  executed. 
For  what  purpose  these  stupendous  edifices  were  erect- 
ed, remains  an  enigma  which  the  most  learned  anti- 
quaries have  in  vain  attempted  to  solve.  Were  they  for 
tombs,  or  for  temples  for  religious  worship  ?  Probably 
they  united  both  purposes.  The  ancient  Egyptians 
believed  that  the  soul  existed  as  long  as  the  body  could 
be  kept  from  dissolution,  and  they  therefore  preserved 
the  bodies  of  the  dead  by  embalming  and  placing 
them  in  situations  where  they  would  not  be  disturbed. 
From  this  fact  it  has  been  inferred  that  the  Pyramids 
were  the  sepulchres  of  kings. 

**  And  round  a  tyrant's  tomb,  who  none  doscrvetl, 
For  one  vile  carcass,  perished  countless  lives.'* 

They  were  thus  consecrated  as  the  burial-place  of  a 
hero  or  king  whom  they  idolized  ;  and  in  them  were 
[)robably  celebrated  the  most  sacred  mysteries  of  their 
strange  religion.  From  some  fancied  derivation  of  the 
word  pyramid  from  a  Greek  word  signifying  com, 
some  antiquary  o(^njectured  that  the  pyramids  were 
the  granaries  which  were  built  by  Joseph  to  preserve 
the  grain  of  Egypt!    But  M.  De  Lacy  has  proved 

3 


34 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


that  the  word  pyramus  belonged  to  the  primitive  lan- 
guage of  Egypt. 

The  Pyramids  of  Saccara,  at  some  distance  from  the 
Great  Pyramids,  are  in  a  ruinous  state.  Some  of  them 
are  rounded  at  the  top ;  others  are  fiat,  and  ascended 
by  steps. 

These  are  supposed  to  be  of  more  recent  origin  than 
the  larger  pyramids.  One,  which  has  partly  fallen 
down,  was  built  of  unburnt  bricks,  badly  made  with 
gravel,  shells,  and  chopped  straw.  It  has  been  sug- 
gested that  these  were  the  works  upon  which  the 
Israelites  toiled  under  their  hard  task-masters.  The 
immense  pyramid  of  unburnt  bricks  on  our  right  was, 
no  doubt,  the  w^ork  of  a  portion  of  the  oppressed  Israel- 
ites, whose  lives  the  task-masters  of  Pharaoh  made 
'  bitter  with  hard  bondage  in  mortar  and  in  brick  / 
and  when  they  murmured  against  their  hard  fate,  the 
command  of  the  tyrant  was  followed  out  to  the  letter, 
'  ye  shall  no  more  give  the  people  straw  to  make  brick, 
as  heretofore ;  let  them  go  and  gather  straw  for  them- 
selves,' '  and  the  tale  of  the  bricks  which  they  did 
make  heretofore,  ye  shall  lay  upon  them ;  ye  shall  not 
diminish  aught  thereof  In  this  dry  climate,  unburn-' 
ed  bricks  are  mostly  used ;  and  in  order  to  give  the 
clay  more  tenacity,  a  large  proportion  of  chopped 
straw  is  worked  into  it  in  the  pit ;  without  which,  or 
something  for  a  substitute,  as  coarse  dry  grass  or 
'  stubble,'  the  bricks  would  crumble  to  pieces  in  hand- 
ling, after  being  dried  in  the  sun." 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE.  35 

Caverns  or  grottos,  excavated  from  the  solid  rock, 
were  used  as  tombs  by  the  Egyptians.  These  Hy- 
pogees,  as  they  are  termed  by  the  French,  were 
domestic  tombs.  At  Thebes,  they  remain  in  great 
numbers,  and  afford  habitations  to  the  miserable  Arabs 
of  the  present  day.  They  are  varied  almost  infinitely. 
The  most  magnificent  have  a  vestibule  carved  into  the 
face  of  the  rock ;  thence  there  is  a  descent  of  a  few 
steps  into  a  pa.ssage  which  leads  to  halls,  which  in  some 
instances  are  more  than  six  hundred  feet  in  length. 
Doors  open  from  them  at  irregular  intervals  into  cham- 
bers where  are  placed  the  mummies.  The  architec- 
ture of  these  tombs  has  nothing  in  common  with  the 
temples  and  pyramids,  excepting  the  sculptured  and 
painted  decorations.  For  this  reason  it  is  not  necessary 
here  to  describe  them  minutely.  The  sculptures  and 
pictures  exhibit  the  modes  of  domestic  life ;  the  em- 
ployments of  the  people  ;  the  navigation  of  the  Nile  ; 
funerals,  combats,  domestic  animals,  ^c,  &c. 

TEMPLES. 

These  are  so  numerous  and  so  interesting,  that  it 
is  exceedingly  ditlicult  to  know  which  to  select  for 
description.  The  splendid  work*  prepared  by  the 
savans  who  accompanied  the  expedition  of  Napoleon 
to   Egypt,  gives  a  perfect  representation  of  these 

•  **  Description  de  L'Kgyptc,  ou,  Recueil  des  observations  et  des 
recherchcs  qui  ont  etc  faites  cn  Kirypte  pendant  I'expcdition  de 
rarmcr  Fran^aisc ;  public  par  les  ordres  de  sa  Majeste  I'Enipcreur 
Napoleon  le  Grand." 


36  EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

wonderful  remains  of  Egyptian  architecture.  They 
are  scattered  in  rich  profusion  all  the  way,  on  both 
sides  of  the  Nile,  as  far  as  the  Cataracts.  "The 
hundred-gated"  Thebes,  spreads  its  solemn  ruins  on 
both  sides  of  the  river. 

Here,  the  oldest  specimens  of  true  Egyptian  art 
may  be  found. 

Luxor,  El  Kusr,  "  the  ruins,"  one  of  the  oldest 
edifices,  stands  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river.  Pro- 
fessor Heeren  attempts  to  prove  that  Luxor  was  a 
palace,  or  a  building  for  some  civil  purpose,  though 
the  general  plan  resembles  that  of  the  temples.  He 
gives,  among  other  circumstantial  evidence  to  this 
effect,  the  fact,  that  the  occupations  and  scenes  of  daily 
life  are  depicted  upon  the  walls  of  some  of  the  apart- 
ments. 

It  is  mentioned  first  among  these  mighty  ruins, 
before  the  more  minute  description  of  temples,  on 
account  of  its  beautiful  obelisks  or  monoliths. 

An  obelisk,*  is  a  tall,  quadrilateral  structure,  hewn 
out  of  a  single  block  of  granite  or  other  stone,  gradually 
diminishing  from  the  base  to  the  top,  where  the  four 
sides  meet  at  last,  in  a  pyramidal  form..  They  were 
usually  placed  in  pairs,  at  the  entrance  of  temples. 
The  question,  as  to  their  use  and  origin,  is  still  de- 
batable ground.  That  they  served  for  something 
more  than  ornament,  is  certain.    They  are  doubtless 


*  Sometimes  termed  a  monolith,  but  this  word  is  applicable  to  any 
structure  formed  from  a  single  stone. 


Plate  I. 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


37 


books  of  religion,  and  the  sculptured  history  of  mighty 
monarchs. 

The  entrance  to  Luxor  (Plate  1.)  is  distinguished  by 
two  beautiful  obelisks,  more  than  eighty  feet  high,  and 
ten  feet  square  at  the  base.  A  modern  traveller  thus  de- 
scribes them  :  "  Before  the  grand  entrance  of  this  vsist 
edifice,  two  lofty  obelisks  stand,  proudly  pointing  to  the 
sky,  fair  as  the  daring  sculptor  left  them.  The  sacred 
figures  and  hieroglyphic  characters  are  beautifully  cut 
into  the  hard  granite,  and  have  the  sharp  finish  of 
yesterday.  The  very  stone  looks  not  discoloured. 
You  see  them  as  Cambyses  saw  them,  when  he  stayed 
his  chariot-wheels  to  gaze  up  to  them,  and  the  Persian 
war-cry  ceased  before  these  acknowledged  symbols  of 
the  sacred  element  of  fire.  Very  noble  are  all  these 
remains,  but  my  eyes  were  continually  attracted 
towards  the  aspiring  obelisks,  and  again  and  again 
you  turn  to  them  with  increasing  wonder  and  admira- 
tion." 

Alas  !  for  these  beautiful  obelisks !  They  no  longer 
stand  like  twin  deities  to  guard  the  entrance  to  Luxor. 
A  solitary  one  remains,  "  ready  in  anger  to  dart  at  the 
sun,  for  not  having  annihilated  at  a  stroke,  the  barba- 
rous Gaul  who  so  lately  robbed  it  of  its  mate.  The 
French,  by  permission  of  the  Pacha,  have  taken  one 
of  these  beautiful  obelisks  to  Paris." 

This  monolith  has  since  been  erected  in  La  Place  de 
la  Concorde,  where  it  has  excited  the  wonder  of  the 
Parisians,  and  been  gazed  at  with  awe  by  travellers 


38 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


from  all  lands. 


Fig.  2 


Cornice. 


Frieze. 


Arcliitra-ye. 
Abacus. 


Capital. 


Much  labour  has  been  bestowed  upon 
it  by  the  learned, 
to  decipher  the 
hieroglyphics  with 
which  it  is  covered. 
It  is  supposed  that 
the  Egyptian  obe- 
lisks were  original- 
ly finished  at  the 
top  with  gilt  bronze 
or  copper. 
Champollion  made 
out  the  names  of 
Rameses  II.,  and 
Rameses  III.,  and 
asserts  that  Luxor 
was  commenced  by 
one  and  completed 
by  the  other.  The 
latter  is  supposed 
to  be  the  Sesostris 
mentioned  by  He- 
rodotus. 
One  of  the  best 


Shaft. 


Pedestal. 


Note. — The  wood-cut  in  the  margin  is  introduced  merely  to  show 
the  several  parts  of  a  column,  and  the  entablature  which  it  supports. 
The  proportions  and  the  design  are  not  those  of  any  established 
order.  A  complete  column  is  formed  by  the  tee,  shaft,  and  ca.pi- 
tal :  the  entablature  by  the  architrave,  frieze,  and  cornice. 


Plato  II. 


PROPYL/tA  OF  THE  TEMPLE  OF  EDFO'J. 


THE  PRO  N  AOS    OF  THE  TEMPLE  OF  DEN  D  ERA. 


t 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


39 


descriptions  of  the  arrangement  of  the  parts"  of  an 
Egyptian  Temple,  is  an  ancient  one,  given  by  the 
Greek  geographer,  Strabo.  "  In  a  line  with  the  en- 
trance into  the  sacred  enclosure,  is  a  paved  road  or 
avenue,  about  a  hundred  feet  in  breadth,  or  sometimes 
less,  and  in  length  from  three  to  four  hundred  feet,  or 
even  more.  This  is  called  tlie  dromos,  as  Callimachus 
has  it.  This  is  the  sacred  dromos  of  Anubis.  Through 
the  whole  length  of  the  dromos,  and  on  each  side  of  it, 
sphinxes  are  placed  at  the  distance  of  tliirty  feet  from 
one  another,  or  somewhat  more,  forming  a  double  row, 
one  on  each  side.  After  the  sphinxes,  you  come  to  a 
large  propylwi,  (Plat4?  II.)  and  as  you  advance  you 
come  to  another,  and  to  a  third  after  that ;  for  no  defi- 
nite number,  either  of  propyla  or  sphinxes,  is  requireil 
in  the  plan.  After  the  propyla,  we  come  to  the  temple 
itself,  which  has  always  a  large  and  handsome  pronaos 
or  portico,  and  a  sekas  or  cella  of  only  moderate  dimen- 
sions, with  no  image  in  it,  or,  at  least,  not  one  of 
human  shape,  but  some  rei)resentation  of  a  brute 
animal." 

The  temples  of  the  Egyptians,  and  all  their  edifices, 
were  painted  with  ricli  bright  colours. 

The  portico  or  pronaos  was  more  elevated  and  larger 
than  the  sanctuary  or  temple ;  it  was  sustained  by 
columns,  and  closed  laterally  with  walls. 

The  great  temple  at  Esne,  the  ancient  Latopolis, 
had  a  splendid  portico  with  twenty-four  columns,  six 
in  a  row,  (Plate  II.)   The  architrave  is  sculptured  with 


I 


40 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


figures  of  men  and  animals ;  the  frieze  is  wide  and  orna- 
mented with  triglyphs;  the  cornice  is  narrow  and  filled 
with  hieroglyphics.  Over  the  door  is  the  favourite 
ornament  of  the  winged  globe.  The  temple  itself  is 
entirely  in  ruins.  It  is  conjectured  that  the  people 
were  only  admitted  into  the  pronaos  or  portico ;  the 
priests  alone  entered  the  precincts  of  the  mysterious 
cella,  the  inner  sanctuary.  The  base  of  the  columns 
is  a  small  square  block;  the  circumference  of  the 
shaft  where  it  rests  upon  it  is  small,  enlarges  sud- 
denly, and  then  continues  of  nearly  equal  size  to  the 
capital.  They  are  ornamented  with  sculpture  in  has- 
relief,  near  the  base,  and  higher  with  reedings  and 
fiUetings. 

This  temple  was  dedicated  to  Jupiter  Ammon. 
Alexander  the  Great,  when  Egypt  submitted  to  his 
authority,  marched  with  a  part  of  his  army  to  this 
temple,  and  there  caused  himself  to  be  proclaimed  the 
son  of  Jupiter  Ammon.  The  obedient  priests  paid 
him  divine  honours,  which  he  afterwards  claimed  as 
his  due.  The  temple  was  twelve  days'  journey  from 
Memphis,  through  inhospitable  deserts.  The  soldiers, 
when  they  found  themselves  surrounded  by  these 
boundless  seas  of  sand,  where  the  eye  for  days  could 
not  rest  upon  a  sign  of  vegetation,  were  greatly 
alarmed,  and  doubtless  cursed  in  their  hearts  the  mad 
ambition  of  their  leader.  The  water  which  they  had 
brought  with  them  in  goatskins  upon  camels,  entirely 
failed;  in  this  extremity  they  were  relieved  by  the 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


41 


timely  falling  of  a  shower,  which  was  cunningly 
ascribed  to  the  peculiar  favour  of  Jupiter  Ammon. 
At  length,  the  splendid  edifice  burst  upon  their  long- 
ing sight,  filling  them  with  delighted  wonder.  It 
stood  upon  a  fertile  plain,  surrounded  by  groves  of 
beautiful  trees,  above  which  its  towering  columns  rose 
in  majestic  grandeur. 

One  of  the  aitists  who  accompanied  the  expedition 
of  Napoleon  says  of  the  remains  of  this  temple  :  "  Its 
architecture  made  upon  each  one  of  us  the  same  impres- 
sion ;  we  were  seized  with  a  certain  confused  admiration, 
whicj^ve  hardly  dared  to  avow,  and  casting  our  eyes 
alternately  upon  the  monument  and  upon  our  fellow- 
travellers,  each  one  sought  to  assure  himself  whether 
he  was  deceived  by  his  sight  or  by  his  mind  ;  if  ho 
had  lost  suddenly  the  taste  and  the  principles  which 
he  had  gained  by  the  study  of  Grecian  monuments  of 
art.  This  struggle  between  the  real  beauty  of  the 
architecture  which  we  had  before 
our  eyes,  and  our  prejudices  in 
favour  of  Grecian  forms  and  pro- 
portions, held  us  some  time  in  sus- 
pense, but  at  length  we  were  car- 
ried away  by  a  unanimous  move- 
ment of  admiration." 

Some  of  the  Egyptian  vase- 
shaped  capitals,  are  ornamented 
with  leaves  of  the  lotus,  or  lily  of  the  Nile,  others 
with  the  palm,  date,  and  papyrus.  These  show  a 
fine  conception  of  the  beautiful,  and  were,  doubtless, 


42 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


Fig.  4. 


Fi&.  5. 


afterwards  imitated  in  Grecian  architecture.     No.  6 
6.  is  a  column  from  the  temple  of 

Isis,  at  Dendera.  It  is  composed 
of  four  heads  of  the  Goddess  Isis, 
with  drapery  about  them  ;  the  pro- 
files may  be  seen  on  the  sides. 
Observe  the  abacus  above  this 
capital;  it  is  not  a  square,  flat 
stone,  like  the  others;  it  is  of  a 
cubical  form  and  richly  ornament- 
ed with  hieroglyphics.  The  tem- 
ple from  which  it  was  taken,  was 
one  of  the  most  perfectly  executed 
of  the  numerous  works  upon  the 
Nile.  It  was  in  one  of  the  courts 
of  this  temple  that  the  famous 
Zodiac  was  discovered,  which  has 
afforded  so  much  speculation  to 
the  astronomers  of  Europe. 

In  all  these  columns  the  abacus 
is  smaller  than  the  shaft,  and  sepa- 
rates the  capital  from  the  entabla- 


EGYPTIAN   ARCHITECTURE.  43 

• 

ture  in  a  more  distinct  manner  than  was  afterwards 
practised  by  the  Greeks. 

Of  all  the  remains  of  Egyptian  architectural  great- 
ness, the  temple  or  palace  of  Karnac,  or  Carnak,  is 
the  most  elaborate  and  extensive.  It  contains  such 
an  immense  number  of  sphinxes,  colossal  statues, 
obelisks,  propyla  and  porticoes,  that  the  mind  is  bewil- 
dered, and  lost  amid  the  endless  variety.  All  descrip- 
tions fail  to  convey  a  just  idea  of  its  size  and  magnifi- 
cence. We  can  form  no  conception  of  a  hall  so  large 
that  the  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame,  at  Paris,  could  l)c 
placed  in  it  entire ;  or  as  a  Frenchman  remarked,  "eight 
of  our  churclies  might  dance  a  cotillon  in  it."  This  is 
the  great  hypostyle  hall,  supported  by  one  hundred 
and  thirty -four  colossal  columns,  some  of  which  are 
twenty-six  feet  in  circumference,  and  others  thirty- 
four.  Six  men  with  their  hands  united  might  clasp 
one  of  the  shafts  of  these  columns,  but  not  the  capitals ; 
they  are  sixty-five  feet  in  circumference,  and  ten  feet 
high! 

Champollion  says  :  The  imagination,  which  in 
Europe  rises  far  above  our  porticoes,  sinks  abashed  at 
the  foot  of  the  one  hundred  and  forty  columns  of  the 
hypostyle  hall  of  Carnak." 

Yet  this  prodigious  hall  forms  but  a  small  part  of 
the  whole  temple.  There  are  twelve  principal  ap- 
proaches to  it,  with  their  propyla,  sphinxes,  and  colossjil 
statues.  As  the  devotee  to  this  shrine  walked  through 
the  long  avenue,  "  between  the  majestic  and  tranquil 


44  EGYPTIANARCHITECTURE. 

sphinxes,  and  the  mighty  gates  ^  grated  harsh  thunder,' 
or  turned  on  'golden  hinges,'  "  his  soul  must  have  been 
filled  with  religious  awe  ; — travellers  who  now  wander 
among  the  prostrate  ruins,  are  overpowered  by  their 
sublimity. 

Alexandria,  the  splendid  city  built  by  Alexander,  at 
the  Delta  of  the  Nile,  was  ornamented  with  obelisks, 
columns,  and  sphinxes,  from  the  ruins  of  ancient 
Egypt.  Thebes  itself,  was  an  immense  quarry  from 
which  alone  vast  quantities  of  sculptured  granite  were 
transported  to  the  new  city.  Cairo  was  built  out  of 
the  ruins  of  Alexandria.  Rome  shared  in  the  spoil. 
The  superb  obelisk  still  standing  in  the  Piazza  del 
Popolo,  at  Rome,  was  brought  from  Heliopolis  by 
order  of  the  Emperor  Augustus.  The  solar  obelisk  of 
red  granite  in  the  square  of  Mount  Citoria,  at  Rome, 
was  also  brought  from  Hieropolis  by  the  same  Emperor ; 
it  is  ninety  feet  high,  and  covered  with  hieroglyphics, 
executed  in  fine  style. 

France,  England,  Germany,  and  other  European 
countries,  are  rich  in  spoils,  brought  by  travellers 
from  that  land  of  wonders. 

The  character  of  Egyptian  Architecture  is  grave  and 
sublime.  No  people,"  says  Champollion,  either 
ancient  or  modern,  ever  conceived  the  arts  of  architec- 
ture and  sculpture  on  so  sublime  a  scale  as  the  ancient 
Egyptians.  Their  conceptions  were  those  of  men  a 
hundred  feet  high."  The  straight  lines  and  angles, 
unbroken  by  a  single  curve,  give  to  the  outline  of  all 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE.  45 

their  structured  a  heavy,  massive  appearance.  There 
is  a  general  resemblance  in  the  plan  of  the  edifices,  but 
the  architecture  offers  numberless  varieties  in  detail. 
The  columns,  for  instance,  have  endless  variety  in 
their  proportions  and  ornaments ;  sometimes  every 
column  in  the  same  edifice  is  different  in  its  decora- 
tions. The  richness  and  profusion  of  sculpture  with 
which  every  part  of  the  walls  and  columns  are  covered, 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  characteristics  of  Egyjv 
tian  Architecture.  These  sculptures  are  in  bas-relief, 
and  often  brilliantly  coloured.  The  effect  which  this 
richness  of  decoration  produces,  is  overpowering  and 
bewildering ;  language  seems  to  fail  the  various  travel- 
lers, who  attempt  to  express  their  emotions  on  behold- 
ing these  stupendous  relics  of  ancient  genius. 

The  Egyptians  must  have  been  a  very  numerous 
people  under  a  severe  despotism.  Whether  the  des- 
potism which  could  command  such  immense  power 
was  that  of  a  cunning  priesthood,  or  a  long  line  of 
ambitious  monarchs,  is  uncertain ;  the  probability  is, 
that  it  was  the  former,  as  most  of  the  remains  are 
^  temples  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  their  deities, 
among  whom  the  ibex  and  cat  hold  a  conspicuous 
pre-eminence.  It  is  supposed  by  some  that  these 
were  symbolical,  and  that  many  of  the  other  figures 
were  astronomical  signs.  The  wily  priests  exacted 
the  hard  earnings  and  ceaseless  toil  of  millions  to  sup- 
port an  absurd,  a  monstrous  system  of  idolatry.  To 
keep  the  people  in  awe  and  maintain  their  blind  ado- 


46 


EGYPTIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


ration,  the  temples  of  their  idols  must  «be  magnificent 
and  imposing.  Thus,  what  was  at  first  a  useful  art, 
arising  from  stern  necessity,  became  among  the  Egyp- 
tians the  most  expensive,  and  considering  the  objects 
to  which  it  was  devoted,  the  most  useless  of  all  arts. 
Yet  to  the  historian,  the  architect,  and  the  antiquary, 
these  grand  remains  are  not  useless.  They  contain  the 
chiselled  record  of  the  manners,  customs,  arts,  sciences, 
literature,  and  religion  of  a  portion  of  the  human  race 
who  would  otherwise  have  been  buried  in  oblivion. 

The  dust  of  ages  has  been  brushed  away  from  these 
faithful  records,  and  a  gleam  of  light  has  been  cast 
upon  the  Egyptian  darkness  that  had  shrouded  this 
mysterious  nation.  We  are  indebted  to  Champollion, 
Dr.  Young,  and  others,  whose  indefatigable  labours 
have  been  devoted  to  this  occult  science.* 

*  The  many  who  have  heard  the  very  interesting  lectures  of  Mr. 
Gliddon,  can  testify  to  the  patient  persevering  labour  of  the  men  vs^ho 
have  endeavoured  to  decipher  and  explain  Egyptian  hieroglyphics. 


CHAPTER  III. 

INDIAN  OR  HINDOO  A  K  C  H  I  T  E  C  T  I' R  K. 

Although  nothing  can  be  known  with  certainty  as 
to  the  priority  of  the  Egyptian  or  the  Hindoo  Archi- 
tecture, some  very  scientific  men  claim  that  there  is 
internal  evidence  that  Hindostan  led  the  way.  We 
will  not  discuss  the  question. 

The  ancient  edifices  of  Hindostan  resemble  those  of 
Egypt  in  their  form  and  general  character,  and  yet 
are  sufficiently  marked  to  produce  a  peculiar  style. 

All  countries  in  adopting  a  neighbouring  style  seem 
to  have  worked  it  with  some  peculiarities  of  their  own, 
so  that  a  person  conversant  with  examples  can  tell, 
upon  inspecting  a  building,  to  what  nation  it  belongs." 

The  sacred  edifices  of  the  Hindoos  were  of  five  dif- 
ferent kinds — ^])yramids,  excavations,  square  or  ob- 
long temples,  temples  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  circular 
temples. 

The  pyramids  are  far  inferior  to  those  of  Egypt, 
and  are  so  much  surpassed  by  other  more  perfect  re- 
mains of  Hindoo  Architecture,  that  they  are  not  worthy 
of  particular  notice. 


48 


HINDOO  ARCHITECTURE. 


EXCAVATIONS,  OR  TEMPLES  CARVED  FROM 
THE    SOLID  ROCK. 

The  most  celebrated  are  at  Elephanta,  Salsette  and 
Ellora. 

The  Island  of  Elephanta  is  near  Bombay,  and  is  so 
called  from  a  colossal  figure  of  an  elephant  carved 
upon  the  rocks  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  island. 
A  temple,  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  square,  is  here 
cut  out  of  the  solid  foundation  of  the  earth.  (Plate.  III.) 

The  large  columns,  of  which  there  were  four 
rows,  stand  upon  high  square  pedestals ;  the 
bases  have  a  peculiar  ornament ;  the  shafts 
are  reeded,  very  short,  and  much  smaller  at 
the  top  than  near  the  base.  The  capitals, 
though  reeded  like  some  of  the  Egyptian 
capitals,  are  larger,  and  flattened  out  as  if 
the  superincumbent  weight  had  pressed  them  down. 
Along  the  sides  of  the  cavern  are  about  fifty  statues, 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  high,  having  their  heads  or- 
namented with  crowns,  helmets,  and  other  decorations. 
Like  most  of  the  Hindoo  deities,  they  are  each  endow- 
ed with  three  or  four  pair  of  hands,  and  hideously  un- 
natural countenances.  The  face  of  the  great  three- 
headed  bust,  is  five  feet  long,  and  the  breadth  across 
the  shoulders  is  twenty  feet. 

This  subterranean  temple  is  constantly  exposed  to 


Plate  IIL 


tLL  PH ANT  A 


HINDOO  ARCHITECTURE. 


49 


the  sea  breeze,  and  is  yielding  to  the  ruthless  spoiler, 
Time, 

"  Whom  stone  and  brass  obey, 
Who  gives  to  every  flying  hour 
To  work  some  new  decay." 

Canara,  in  the  island  of  Salsette,  is  represented  by 
travellers  as  very  magnificent.  There  are  four  stories 
or  galleries  hewn  out  of  a  high  perpendicular  rock,  into 
vt^hich  open  more  than  three  hundred  apartments. 
Before  the  entrance  into  this  grand  temple,  stand  two 
colossal  statues,  twenty-seven  feet  high.  Thirty-five 
octagonal  columns  support  the  roof,  which  is  not  flat 
like  Elephanta,  but  finely  arched.  The  bases  and 
capitals  of  these  columns  are  formed  of  tigers,  ele- 
phants, and  other  animals  finely  carved,  and  represented 
crouching  down,  as  if  to  support  the  superincumbent 
weight.  There  are  said  to  be  not  less  than  six  hundred 
figures  of  idols  within  the  excavations  of  Salsette. 

But  wonderful  as  are  the  excavations  at  Salsette 
and  Elephantii,  they  are  far  surpassed  by  those  of 
EUora.  A  traveller  says  :  "  No  monuments  of  anti- 
quity in  the  known  world  are  comparable  to  the  caves 
of  Ellora,  whether  we  consider  their  unknown  origin, 
their  stupendous  size,  the  beauty  of  their  architectural 
ornaments,  or  the  vast  number  of  statues  and  emblems, 
all  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock."*  It  would  require  vo- 
lumes to  give  a  description  of  these  amazing  works.  It 

*  Seely,  -  V^ibdcr^  of  Ellora." 


50 


HINDOO  ARCHITECTURE. 


seems  aland  of  enchantment,  the  eye  and  imagination 
are  bewildered  with  the  variety  of  interesting  objects, 
that  present  themselves  on  every  side.  The  feelings  are 
interested  to  a  degree  of  awe,  wonder  and  delight,  that 
at  first  is  painful,  and  it  is  a  long  time  before  they  be- 
come sufficiently  sobered  and  calm,  to  contemplate 
with  any  attention  the  surrounding  wonders.  Con- 
ceive the  burst  of  surprise,  at  suddenly  coming  upon 
a  stupendous  temple,  within  a  large,  open  court,  with 
all  its  parts  perfect  and  beautiful ;  standing  proudly 
alone  upon  its  native  bed,  detached  from  the  neighbour- 
ing mountain,  by  a  spacious  area  all  around,  nearly 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  deep,  and  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  broad ;  the  unrivalled  fane  in  the  midst,  rear- 
ing its  rocky  head  to  a  height  of  nearly  one  hundred 
feet,  its  length  about  one  hundred  feet,  its  breadth 
sixty-two  ;  having  well-formed  doorways,  windows, 
and  staircases ;  containing  fine  large  rooms  of  a  smooth 
and  polished  surface,  regularly  divided  by  rows  of  pil- 
lars."— Thus  stands  "Keylas  the  Proud,  wonderfully 
towering  in  hoary  majesty,  a  mighty  fabric  of  rock, 
surpassed  by  no  relic  of  antiquity  in  the  known  world." 

Far  inferior  to  this  vast  building  in  size,  is  the 
exquisitely  beautiful  temple  of  Indra  Subba,  (Plate 
III.)  It  is  a  copy  on  a  small  scale  of  the  mighty  Key- 
las.  Like  that,  Indra  Subba  is  an  insulated  temple 
at  Ellora,  with  a  wide  area  or  open  space  around  it, 
which  is  terminated  by  a  spacious  gallery  supported 
by  columns,  carved  into  the  perpendicular  rock.  The 


HINDOO  ARCHITECTURE. 


little  temple  is  left  completely  insulated  as  represented 
in  the  plate,  the  galleries  being  some  hundred  feet 
distant.  It  would  seem  to  the  observer,  that  these 
curious  works  must  have  been  constructed  downward; 
the  workmen  beginning  at  the  top  of  the  rock,  chi- 
selled first  the  roof,  scooping  out  at  the  same  time  the 
area  around  it ;  thus  working  gradually  down  till  the 
temple  was  finished  to  its  base,  where  the  foundations 
remain  immovably  fixed,  a  part  of  the  primitive  rock, 
which  nothing  can  disturb,  but  the  convulsions  of  the 
final  catastrophe,  when 

"  Rocks  fall  to  dust,  and  mountains  melt  away." 

The  columns  of  the  Temple  of  Indra  have  capitals 
consisting  of  two  reeded  cushions  pressed  down ;  the 
shafts  diminish  suddenly  near  the  capital ;  the  bases 
are  moulded  and  rest  upon  a  plinth. 

The  single  column,  standing  alone,  reminds  one  of 
the  two  pillars  of  brass,  Jachin  and  Boaz,  which  stood 
in  Solomon's  Temple.  For  what  purpose  this  isolated 
column  was  designed,  it  is  difficult  to  determine ;  it 
has  no  base,  but  rests  upon  a  pedestal,  beautifully 
sculptured.  The  roof  to  this  elegant  little  temple  is 
finished  with  circular  ornaments  resembling  cupolas, 
at  each  corner,  and  upon  the  top.  The  chiselling  of 
the  ornaments  shows  that  the  artists  had  arrived  at 
a  degree  of  skill,  far  surpassing  that  of  the  modern 
Hindoos. 

Visvacarma,  also  at  EUora,  is  a  vaulted  temple, 


5g  HINDOO  ARCHITECTURE. 

eighty  feet  in  length,  and  forty-four  feet  in  breadth. 
From  the  sides  of  the  roof  project  rafters  of  rock, 
meeting  in  the  centre  of  the  vault,  and  resting 
upon  sculptured  figures  which  stand  upon  a  heavy 
entablature.  Square  massive  columns  without  base 
or  capital  support  this  entablature.  The  great  altar  at 
the  end  of  the  temple  is  twenty-four  feet  high ;  in  front 
of  it  is  a  canopy  under  which  is  the  idol,  Visvacarma. 

"  The  ancient  pillars  rear  their  rocky  heads, 
To  bear  aloft  its  arched  and  ponderous  roof, 
By  its  own  weight  made  steadfast  and  immovable ; 
Looking  tranquillity,  it  strikes  an  awe 
And  terror  to  my  aching  sight." 

What  and  who  were  the  men  who  designed  and 
executed  these  mysterious  temples  ? 

They  were  not  like  the  feeble  and  indolent  Hindoos 
who  now  wander  among  them,  incapable  of  appre- 
ciating the  genius,  which  brought  out  these  forms  of 
beauty  from  their  rocky  beds.  Conjecture  is  at  fault ; 
history  gives  no  clue  to  the  mystery.  "  The  first  view 
of  the  desolate  religious  city  of  Ellora,"  remarks  Mr. 
Erskine,  is  grand  and  striking,  but  melancholy. 
The  number  and  magnificence  of  the  subterraneous 
temples,  the  extent  and  loftiness  of  some,  the  endless 
diversity  of  sculpture  in  others,  the  variety  of  curious 
foliage,  of  minute  tracery,  highly  wrought  pillars,  rich 
mythological  designs,  sacred  shrines,  and  colossal 
statues,  astonish  but  distract  the  mind.    No  trace  re- 


HINDOO  ARCHITECTURE. 


.53 


mains  to  tell  us  the  hand  by  which  they  were  de- 
signed, or  the  populous  and  powerful  nation  by  which 
they  were  completed.  The  empire  whose  pride  they 
must  have  been,  has  passed  away  and  left  not  a  memo- 
rial behind  it.  The  religion  to  which  we  owe  one 
part  of  them  indeed,  continues  to  exist;  but  that  which 
called  into  existence  the  other,  (the  Boodhist,)  like  the 
beings  by  whose  toil  it  was  wrought,  has  been  swept 
from  the  land." 

The  rock  of  which  these  sculptured  caverns  are 
formed,  varies ;  black  and  gray  basalt,  granite,  "  a 
hard  vesicular  rock,  and  a  rock  of  gritty  loose  texture," 
are  mentioned  by  travellers ;  from  which  we  infer,  that 
there  is  in  the  geological  formation  occasional  stratifica- 
tion, and  that  the  reason  why  some  of  the  caves  are  in 
a  more  ruinous  condition  than  others,  is  the  less  endur- 
ing nature  of  parts  of  the  material  of  which  they  are 
formed.  It  is  impossible  not  to  be  forcibly  struck 
with  the  resemblance  between  Hindoo  and  Egyptian 
Architecture.  The  massive  columns,  the  varied  and 
curious  capitals,  the  solemn  grandeur  of  the  lout  m- 
semhle,  seem  to  [)oint  out  a  common  origin ;  yet  great 
diversities  occur,  and  in  some  instances,  (Visvacarma 
and  several  other  vauUed  temples  for  example,)  of  an 
entire  departure  from  the  straight  lines  and  angles  of 
the  Egyptian  style. 

Of  Hindoo  temples,  which  are  of  more  modern 
origin,  there  are  an  endless  variety.  Many  of  those, 
composed  of  square  or  oblong  courts,  are  of  immense 


54 


HINDOO  ARCHITECTURE. 


extent.  One  of  the  most  magnificent  is  that  of  Sering- 
ham,  near  Tritchinopoly.  This  pagoda  is  composed 
of  seven  square  enclosures,  the  outermost  being  four 
miles  square ;  the  walls  are  twenty-five  feet  high,  four 
feet  thick,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  each 
other,  leaving  a  space  about  a  thousand  feet  square  in 
the  centre,  upon  which  stands  a  high  pagoda.  To 
each  of  the  enclosures  are  four  gateways  with  lofty 
towers ;  these  gateways  are  in  direct  lines  leading  to 
the  centre. 

Another  kind  of  Indian  Pagoda  is  in  the  form  of  a 
cross,  with  lofty  cupolas  at  the  centre  and  at  the  ex- 
tremities of  the  cross. 

There  are  many  pagodas  of  a  circular  form.  The 
horrid  Temple  of  Juggernaut  is  compared  to  an  im- 
mense butt  or  wine-cask  set  on  end.  The  sacred  do- 
mains of  this  pagoda  afford  pasturage  for  twenty  thou- 
sand sacred  cows.  In  Tanjore  is  a  pyramidal  pagoda, 
which  Lord  Valentia  says  is  the  finest  specimen  of  the 
kind  in  India,  and  is  a  very  beautiful  piece  of  archi- 
tecture. As  there  is  a  strongly  marked  resemblance 
between  Egyptian  and  Hindoo  Architecture,  there  is 
also  a  striking  similarity  in  their  idolatry.  From 
these  facts  it  is  inferred  that  the  communications 
between  these  two  mighty  nations  were  frequent  and 
intimate,  or,  that  one  was  founded  by  a  colony  from 
the  other,  after  the  arts  and  sciences  had  been  for  a 
long  time  cultivated  in  the  fatherland. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PERSIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

The  beautiful  ruins  of  Persepolis  afford  a  fine  speci- 
men of  ancient  Persian  Architecture.  Nothing  how- 
ever remains  but  a  few  splendid  remnants  of  the  palace 
which  Alexander  partially  destroyed  in  one  of  his  mad 
frolics. 

Persepolis  is  situated  in  the  province  of  Faristan, 
latitude  30°  40'  N.,  longitude  84°  E.  Le  Brun  spent 
three  months  in  exploring  and  delineating  these  ruins, 
and  after  much  discussion,  conjectures  that  Darius  and 
Xerxes  built  Persepolis.  ^ 

These  ruins  were  probably  the  summer  palace  of  a 
Persian  monarch.  From  the  name  Chibiieiiar^  which 
signifies  forty  columns,  it  has  been  inferred  that  only 
that  number  belonged  to  the  edifice  ;  but  Le  Brun 
counted  the  traces  of  two  hundred  and  five,  although 
only  nineteen  were  then  standing  entire.  The  doorways 
or  entrances  resemble  those  of  Egyptian  temples. 
The  columns  are  much  more  slender  in  proportion  to 


56 


PERSIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


^'  their  height,  than  either  Egyptian 

or  Hindoo  columns,  being  seventy- 
two  feet  high,  and  only  seventeen 
inches  in  diameter  at  the  base. 

The  capitals  (Fig.  8)  are  very 
high,  occupying  nearly  a  fourth 
of  the  whole  height  of  the  column. 
The  bases  (Fig.  9)  are  a  little 
more  than  four  inches  high,  and 
twenty-five  in  circumference,  very 
beautifully  and  delicately  carved. 
It  is  supposed  that  these  capitals 
were  intended  to  represent  bunches 
of  feathers  as  they  had  formerly 
been  tied  around  the  tops  of  tall  wooden  pillars.  No 
fragments  of  a  roof  have  been  discovered,  and  the 
columns  are  too  slender  to  have  borne  any  but  a  light 
one.  These  beautiful  marble  columns  probably  sus- 
tained temporary  awnings  of  silk,  which,  as  it  was  a 
summer  palace,  could  be  taken  down  at  pleasure. 
In  Shushan,  the  palace  of  Ahasuerus,  there  were 

"  white,  green  and  blue 
hangings,  fastened  with 
cords  of  fine  linen  and  pur- 
ple, to  silver  rings,  and  pil- 
lars of  marble ;  the  beds 
were  of  gold  and  silver  upon 
a  pavement  of  red,  and  blue, 
and  white,  and  black  marble." 


Fig.  9. 


PERSIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


57 


Like  Shushan,  the  mouldering  solitary  ruin  of  Per- 
sepolis  was  once  the  chosen  seat  of  merriment  and 
splendour.  It  is  silent  now,  silent  as  the  desert,  save 
when  some  tall  column  which  long  has  tottered  upon 
its  base,  startles  the  amazed  traveller  by  falling  at  his 
feet  with  thundering  sound.  There  stood  the  gor- 
geous throne,  there  bowed  the  abject  throng ;  soft,  sweet 
music  floated  around  these  stately  columns,  fragrant 
incense  filled  the  air.  Desolation  reigns  sole  monarch 
now  ;  the  mournful  sighing  of  the  wind  the  only  music  ; 
damp  vapours  load  the  unwholesome  air.  The  dust 
of  the  mighty  is  mingled  with  that  of  their  meanest 
slaves,  as  it  is  scattered  by  every  breeze  over  this 
mouldering  monument  of  their  brief  glory. 

The  Tombs  of  the  Kings  at  Persepolis  are  sculptured 
and  elaborately  ornamented.  They  are  excavations, 
and  carved  from  the  rock.  The  tomb  of  Darius,  as  it 
is  called,  is  the  most  magnificent.  The  perpendicular 
front,  which  presents  itself,  is  seventy  feet  high,  seventy 
feet  in  breadth  at  the  base,  and  forty  feet  above.  The 
lower  columns  support  a  heavy  entablature  ;  their  capi- 
tals are  composed  of  the  heads  of  oxen.  Above  this 
first  gallery  are  two  rows  of  human  figures  supporting 
entablatures,  and  above  them  the  sculptured  figure  of 
a  king  performing  his  devotions  before  an  altar. 

It  is  thought  by  some  authors  that  Persepolis  was 
built  by  Egyptian  architects,  carried  thither  by  Cam- 
byses,  but  that  the  Persians,  abhorring  the  Egyptian 
mythology,  obliged  them  to  erect  and  to  decorate  their 


58 


PERSIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


structures  according  to  some  rude  models  which  had 
previously  existed.  The  sculptures  represent  religious 
processions,  and  sacrifices  to  the  sun  and  moon ;  some 
of  the  persons  in  these  processions  carry  umbrellas, 
an  invention,  which  has  been  generally  attributed  to  a 
much  later  period. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  there  was  a  communi- 
cation of  architectural  knowledge  between  the  three 
countries,  which  possess  the  most  magnificent  speci- 
mens of  ancient  art. 


I 


CHAPTER  V. 

JEWISH  ARCHITECTURE. 

Seventy  years  after  the  birth  of  our  Saviour,  in 
fulfilment  of  prophecy,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
was  accomplished  by  the  Romans  under  Titus.  Very 
little  can  now  be  known  of  the  architecture  of  that 
once  beautiful  city. 

Following  the  description  with  which  we  are  fur- 
nished in  the  Old  Testament,  we  cannot  make  out  a 
very  exact  architectural  delineation  of  Solomon's  tem- 
ple. Previously  to  its  erection,  the  Israelites  had  made 
very  few  of  the  higher  efforts  in  the  art.  The  cities 
of  the  Canaanites  were  surrounded  with  walls,  and 
their  dwellinjjs  were  such  as  to  accommodate  their 
conquerors ;  when  they  built  for  themselves,  their  most 
stately  houses  were  of  the  cedar  of  Lebanon,  and  other 
kinds  of  wood,  and  were  rendered  magnificent  by 
carving,  gilding,  and  embroidery. 

This  gorgeous  style  of  ornamenting  is  still  practised 
in  the  East,  where  the  want  of  beauty  of  design  in 
the  structure,  and  unskilfulness  in  the  architect,  must 


60 


JEWISH  ARCHITECTURE. 


be  concealed  by  everything  costly  and  dazzling  in 
decoration.  •The  Israelites  might  have  received  some 
know^ledge  of  Architecture  from  Egypt,  yet  when 
Solomon  was  about  to  build  the  Temple,  the  work- 
men of  his  own  kingdom  were  not  sufficient  for  the 
task.  The  Tyrians  and  Sidonians  were  more  skilful, 
and  Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  received  a  large  sum  an- 
nually while  the  Temple  was  building,  for  the  labour 
of  his  subjects  who  were  employed  upon  it.  He  also 
supplied  large  quantities  of  materials  for  the  structure. 

The  Temple  was  built  upon  the  summit  of  Mount 
Moriah.  It  was  enclosed  by  a  gallery  or  portico, 
which  was  divided  into  two  courts,  the  great  or  ex- 
terior court,  and  the  interior,  or  "  court  before  the 
temple."  These  courts  were  separated  from  each 
other  either  by  a  wall,  or  a  slight  partition  of  lattice- 
work. There  were  various  apartments  around  the 
main  building,  for  the  vases  and  other  utensils  used  in 
the  Jewish  service,  for  the  provisions  for  the  priests, 
and  for  their  accommodation  while  employed  about 
the  sacred  duties  of  the  temple. 

The  great  altar  stood  in  the  court  of  the  temple,  or 
the  court  of  the  priests,  as  it  is  sometimes  called. 

The  large  brazen  laver,  "the  molten  sea,"  which 
stood  in  one  of  the  courts,  could  contain  three  thousand 
baths.  ^  It  was  supported  upon  the  backs  of  twelve 
oxen,  three  facing  to  each  point  of  the  compass,  and 


*  Jahu's  Biblical  Archteology. 


JEWISH  ARCHITECTURE. 


its  brim  was  ornamented  with  lilies  of  brass,  an  appro- 
priate ornament  for  the  water's  edge.  Beside  this 
immense  laver  there  were  ten  smaller  ones,  resting 
upon  highly  ornamented  bases,  and  wheels,  "like 
chariot  wheels,"  that  they  might  be  moved  about  the 
court. 

The  part  of  the  Temple  called  the  sanctuary,  was 
sixty  cubits  (about  ninety  feet)  long,  twenty  cubits 
broad,  and  thirty  high,  with  the  exception  of  the  part 
called  the  Sanctissimnm,  or  Most  Holy,  the  height  of 
which  was  only  twenty  cubits,  so  that  there  remained 
over  it  a  room  of  ten  cubits  in  height.  In  front  of  the 
sanctuary  was  the  porch  or  pronaos,  (similar,  perhaps, 
to  the  Egyptian,)  one  hundred  and  twenty  cubits  high, 
having  a  lofty  entrance  without  any  door.  The  en- 
trance to  the  sanctuary  was  closed  by  a  folding  door, 
ornamented  with  carved  work  covered  with  gold,  and 
turning  on  golden  hinges,  and  a  similar  door  was  at 
the  entrance  of  the  Holy  of  Holies ;  both  of  them.were 
covered  with  veils  of  embroidered  linen.  Near  the 
entrance  of  the  porch  were  two  columns  of  brass, 
Jachin  and  Boaz,  which  seem  to  have  been  merely  for 
ornament,  as  they  supported  no  part  of  the  edifice. 
These  columns  were  twelve  cubits,  (about  eighteen 
feet,)  in  circumference ;  the  shafts  were  eighteen  cubits 
high,  the  capitals  five,  and  the  bases,  thirteen ;  making 
the  whole  altitude,  thirty-six  cubits,  (about  fifty-four 
feet.) 

These  proportions  resemble  those  of  the  colunms  at 
Eleplianta ;  the  capitals  with  their  leaves,  pomegranates, 


62 


JEWISH  ARCHITECTURE. 


and  lilies,  remind  ns  of  the  profusely  ornamented 
Egyptian  capitals.  The  shafts  and  bases  were  hollow, 
the  brass  of  which  they  were  made  being  a  hand's 
breadth  in  thickness. 

The  sanctuary  was  built  of  large  square  stones, 
hewn  and  fitted  at  the  quarry.  This  seems  to  have 
been  the  usual  practice  among  the  ancients ;  "  the 
splendour  and  magnificence  of  a  building  seem  to 
have  been  estimated  by  the  size  of  the  square  stones 
of  which  it  was  constructed in  Solomon's  Temple, 
however,  they  were  covered  within  and  without  with 
boards  of  cedar  profusely  carved,  and  overlaid  with 
gold. 

The  sacred  historians  mention  several  other  build- 
ings with  which  Solomon  adorned  Jerusalem,  but  so 
concisely,  that  we  can  form  no  accurate  conceptions  of 
them. 

The  Temple,  repaired  and  beautified  by  Herod,  is 
the  one  so  often  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
was  exceedingly  magnificent.  The  gates  and  porches 
were  lofty  and  richly  ornamented  with  gold  and 
Corinthian  brass.  The  sanctuary  was  of  white  marble, 
and  the  roof  of  it  was  covered  with  sharp  rods  of  iron 
covered  with  gold. 

It  was  in  the  porch  of  this  Temple  that  Judas  threw 
down  the  price  of  his  treachery,  the  thirty  pieces  of 
silver.  The  porch  on  the  south  side  was  the  highest 
part  of  the  Temple,  and  was  probably  "  the  pinnacle," 
from  whence  our  blessed   Saviour  was  shown  the 


JEWISH  ARCHITECTURE. 


68 


glories  of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  by  the  arch- 
deceiver.  From  another  porch  in  the  court  of  the 
Gentiles,  Jesus  drove  out  the  money-changers,  and 
those  who  sold  doves,"  for  the  sacrifices  of  the  temple 
worship. 

In  studying  Egyptian,  Hindoo,  and  Persian  Archi- 
tecture, we  are  aided  by  splendid  remains :  here  we 
have  no  such  certain  guides  ;  our  researches,  tlierefore, 
cannot  lead  to  anything  very  satisfactory. 


CHAPTER  VL 


CHINESE  ARCHITECTURE. 

The  earliest  attempts  at  buildings  in  China,  were 
close  imitations  of  tents,  and  to  this  day  they  have  not 
departed  from  the  original  design.  Although  remark- 
ably ingenious,  the  Chinese  are  an  imitative  people,  and 
it  is  impossible  to  say,  hov^  many  centuries  their  vrorks 
of  all  kinds  may  have  continued  precisely  the  same. 

The  Great  Wall  was  constructed  by  Thsing-chi- 
hoang-ti  about  two  hundred  and  fourteen  years  before 
our  era.  A  French  writer  calls  it  a  monument  le 
plus  colossal,  comme  le  plus  insense,  peut-etre,  qu'ait 
jamais  con^u  la  pensee  humaine." 

But  Thsing-chi-hoang-ti  knew  what  he  was  about ; 
the  Tartars  might  invade  his  dominions,  but  that  was 
not  his  only  or  chief  reason  for  this  immense  structure. 
Having  brought  under  his  sway  a  great  number  of 
petty  kingdoms,  into  which  the  Celestial  Empire  had 
been  previously  divided,  and  widely  extended  his 
conquests  over  neighbouring  countries,  the  illustrious 


CHINESE  ARCHITECTURE. 


65 


Hoang-ti  issued  a  decree  worthy  of  the  immortal  Jack 
Cade ;  namely,  that  all  the  books  of  morals  and  history 
in  his  wide  dominions  should  be  burned.  Tyranny  of 
course  would  be  best  secured  by  ignorance.  But  dis- 
content, revolt,  and  vengeance  threatened  him,  and 
the  people  must  be  employed ;  hence  arose  the  great 
wall  Wen-ti-tchang-tching,  upon  which  millions  of 
men  were  occupied  for  ten  years.  His  neighbours, 
the  Tartars,  might  invade  his  dominions,  but  his  most 
dangerous  foes  were  his  own  subjects.  Wen-ti-tchang- 
tchinnr  means  the  wall  of  a  thousand  leayrues.  It  is 
supposed  to  be  about  half  that  length,  fifteen  hundred 
miles.  Its  thickness  is  such,  that  six  horsemen  might 
ride  abreast  upon  the  top  of  it.  It  varies  from  twenty 
to  forty  feet  in  height.  Throughout  its  prodigious 
length  it  is  flanked  with  towers  at  the  distance  of  two 
flights  of  an  arrow  apart.  Thus  it  is  carried  over  high 
mountains,  and  through  deep  valleys,  and  ravines,  and 
rivers.  The  wall  was  built  with  much  care  and  skill, 
with  hewn  stone  on  the  exterior,  filled  in  between  with 
earth.  The  materials  which  have  served  for  the 
construction  of  this  wall,''  says  M.  Barron,  "  would  be 
more  than  suflicient  to  build  a  wall  twice  round  the 
globe,  six  feet  high  and  two  feet  thick." 

Thsing-chi-hoang-ti  embellished  his  capital  with 
buildings  of  the  greatest  magnificence.  He  augmented 
the  number  of  regal  edifices  by  causing  three  hundred 
royal  palaces  to  be  erected  within  the  walls  of  the  city, 
and  four  hundred  in  the  country.    All  these  edifices, 

5 


66 


CHINESE  ARCHITECTURE. 


which  he  endeavoured  to  render  as  magnificent  as 
possible,  were  to  be  placed,  say  the  historians,  so  as  to 
present  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth  a  coup  d'osil,  like 
that  which  the  milky-way  and  the  constellations  near 
it  present  in  the  vault  of  the  heavens.  This  was,  in- 
deed, making  a  Celestial  Empire ! 

Another  Emperor  confessed  as  a  sin,  that  he  had 
made  his  palaces  too  superb,  and  otherwise  expended 
superfluously  in  buildings.  The  Chinese  have  built 
large  structures  of  their  favourite  porcelain.  The 
famous  pagoda  at  Peking  is  of  this  material. 

Their  pagodas  all  have  nearly  the  same  form.  (Plate 
IV.)  Chinese  gates  and  garden-houses  have  lightness 
and  grace,  but  there  is  comparatively  little  in  their 
architecture  worthy  of  imitation.  Their  dwelling- 
houses  (Plate  IV.)  are  lacquered,  painted,  and  gilded, 
and  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  palaces  mentioned 
by  the  ancient  historians  were  anything  more  than 
wooden  structures  thus  gaudily  ornamented. 

Sir  William  Chambers  says,  that  "  some  considera- 
tion is  due  to  a  race  of  men  who,  separated  from  the 
polished  nations  of  the  world,  have,  without  any  model 
to  assist  them,  been  able  of  themselves  to  mature  the 
sciences  and  invent  the  arts.  What  is  really  Chinese 
has  at  least  the  merit  of  being  original." 


Plate  IV. 


CHINESE  PAGOnA  &  D  W  E  L  LI  N  G  HOU  S  E . 


CHAPTER  VII. 


AMERICAN  OR  ABORIGINAL  A  R  C  H  IT  t:  C  T  U  R  E. 

The  discovery  of  architectural  ruins  in  Central  Ame- 
rica of  immense  extent,  and  of  a  style  perfectly  anoma- 
lous, excited  throughout  Europe  and  in  our  own  coun- 
try the  most  extravagant  expectations. 

The  antiquary  looked  for  revelations  concerning  a 
race  older  than  Assyria  and  Babylon  ;  antediluvians, 
perhaps,  who  built  with  the  skill  and  magnificence  ot 
the    giants  of  those  days." 

The  man  of  science  was  on  tiptoe ;  the  poet  was 
ready  to  place  his  ideal  creations  amid  splendid  edi- 
fices which  would  surpass  all  the  wild  imaginings  of 
the  Arabian  Nights. 

The  architect  anticipated  new  designs,  su])erior  to 
those  of  classic  Greece. 

These  rash  expectations  were  in  a  measure  disap- 
pointed, when  the  thorough  investigations  of  Stephens 
and  Catherwood,  restored  those  long-hidden  remains. 
Restored,  we  may  say,  for  the  beautiful  Views"  of 
Catherwood,  bring  them,  in  all  their  fantastic  and  gro- 
tesque forms,  before  our  eyes  as  realities.    The  inde- 


68 


ABORIGINAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


fatiofable  and  amusinor  writer,  to  whom  we  are  indebted 
for  the  most  valnable  information  that  has  been  given 
with  regard  to  Central  America,  says,  of  the  ancient 
American  cities,  "  There  are  not  sufficient  grounds  for 
behef  in  the  great  antiquity  that  has  been  ascribed  to 
these  ruins."  We  are  not  warranted  in  going  back 
to  any  ancient  nation  of  the  Old  World  for  the  builders 
of  these  cities."  "  This  opinion  was  not  given  lightly, 
nor  without  due  consideration.  It  was  adverse  to  my 
feelings,  which  would  have  fain  thrown  around  the 
ruins  the  interest  of  mystery  and  hoary  age." 

Although  we  acknowledge  the  force  of  the  internal 
and  circumstantial  evidence,  by  which  travellers  have 
arrived  at  this  conclusion,  yet  the  antiquity  of  these 
remains  is  not  settled.  As  it  is  impossible  to  assign 
American  Aboriginal  Architecture  to  the  exact  chrono- 
logical period  to  which  it  belongs,  it  has  been  introduced 
here,  as  the  fitting  place,  although  it  breaks  in  upon 
the  regular  course. 

The  colossal  edifices  of  the  Aborigines  of  Mexico, 
Central  America,*  and  Yucatan,  are  mostly  pyramidal 
in  form  (Plate  V.);  the  pyramid  rises  by  terraces, 
which  gradually  decrease  in  size  ;  upon  the  top  is  left 

*  Central  America  lies  between  8°  and  18°  N.  latitude.  It  com- 
prehends that  part  of  the  long  isthmus  between  North  and  South 
America  which,  lying  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans,  extends 
from  New  Grenada  to  Mexico.  Yucatan  is  a  peninsula  projecting 
from  its  northern  extremity  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 


Plate  V. 


CASA  DEL  GOBERNADOR. 


A  MEXICAN  TEOCALLIS. 


ABORIGINAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


a  level  space  of  sufficient  size  for  the  building  which 
crowns  the  summit. 

In  front  of  the  pyramid  was  a  hideous  idol,  and  the 
stone  of  sacrifice  upon  whicli  human  victims  were 
offered. 

In  Mexico  these  teocalli  were  very  numerous. 
"  They  were  solid  masses  of  earth,  brick,  or  stone. 
The  bases  of  them  were  several  hundred  feet  square, 
and  they  towered  to  a  height  of  more  than  a  hundred 
feet.  There  were  said  to  be  six  hundred  altars,  or 
smaller  buildings,  within  the  great  Temple  of  Mexico, 
which,  with  those  on  tlie  sacred  edifices,  in  other 
parts  of  the  city,  shed  a  brilliant  illumination  over  its 
streets  through  the  darkest  night." 

The  great  teocallis  of  Mexico  was  divided  into  five 
stories  or  bodies,  each  one  receding  so  as  to  be  of 
smaller  dimensions  than  that  immediately  below  it. 
The  ascent  was  by  a  flight  of  steps  on  the  outside, 
which  reached  to  the  narrow  terrace  or  platform  at 
the  base  of  the  second  story,  pa.ssing  quite  round  the 
building,  where  a  second  stairway  conducted  to  a 
similar  landing  at  the  base  of  the  third.  The  breadth 
of  this  walk  was  just  so  much  space  as  was  left  by  the 
retreating  story  next  above  it.  From  this  construction 
the  visiter  was  obliged  to  pass  round  the  whole  edifice 
four  times  in  order  to  reach  the  top.  This  had  a  most 
imposing  effect  in  the  religious  ceremonials,  when  the 
pompous  procession  of  priests,  with  their  wild  min- 
strelsy, came  sweeping  round  the  huge  sides  of  the 


70 


ABORIGINAL  A  R  C  HI  T  E  C  T  U  R  i:.. 


pyramid,  as  they  rose  higher  and  higher,  in  the  pre- 
sence of  gazing  mnltitudes,  towards  the  summit. 

The  dimensions  of  the  temple  caimot  be  given  with 
any  certainty.  It  was,  probably,  not  much  less  than 
three  hundred  feet  square  at  the  base,  and  as  the 
Spaniards  counted  a  hundred  and  fourteen  steps,  was 
probably  less  than  one  hundred  feet  high.  On  reach- 
ing the  summit,  they  found  it  a  vast  area,  paved  with 
broad  flat  stones.  The  first  object  that  met  their  view 
was  a  large  block  of  jasper,  the  peculiar  shape  of  which 
showed  that  it  was  the  stone  on  which  the  bodies  of  the 
unhappy  victims  were  stretched  for  sacrifice.*  Its  con- 

*  Prescott's  Conquest  of  Mexico.  "  Human  sacrifices  were  adopted 
by  the  Aztecs  or  Mexicans,  two  hundred  years  before  the  conquest. 
One  of  the  most  important  festivals  was  that  in  honour  of  the  god 
Tezcatlipoca,  whose  rank  was  inferior  only  to  that  of  the  Supreme 
Being.  He  was  called  '  the  Soul  of  the  World,'  and  supposed  to  have 
been  its  creator.  He  was  depicted  as  a  handsome  man,  endowed 
with  perpetual  youth.  A  year  before  the  intended  sacrifice,  a  cap- 
tive, distinguished  for  his  personal  beauty,  and  without  a  blemish  on 
his  body,  was  selected  to  represent  this  deity.  Certain  tutors  took 
charge  of  him,  and  instructed  him  how  to  perform  his  new  part  with 
becoming  grace  and  dignity.  He  was  arrayed  in  a  splendid  dress, 
regaled  with  incense,  and  with  a  profusion  of  sweet-scented  flowers. 
When  he  went  abroad,  he  was  attended  by  a  train  of  the  royal  pages, 
and,  as  he  halted  in  the  streets  to  play  some  favourite  melody,  the 
crowd  prostrated  themselves  before  him,  and  did  him  homage  as  the 
representative  of  their  good  deity.  In  this  way  he  led  an  easy,  luxu- 
rious life  till  within  a  month  of  his  sacrifice. 

"  At  length  the  fatal  day  arrived.  The  term  of  his  short-lived  glories 
was  at  an  end.    He  was  stripped  of  his  gaudy  apparel,  and  bade 


ABORIGINAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


71 


vex  surface,  by  raising  the  breast,  enabled  the  priest  to 
perform  his  diabolical  task  more  easily,  of  removing 
the  heart.  At  the  other  end  of  the  area  were  two 
towers  or  sanctuaries,  consisting  of  three  stories,  the 
lower  one  of  stone  and  stucco,  the  two  upper  of  wood 
elaborately  carved.  In  the  lower  division  stood  the 
images  of  their  gods.  Before  each  sanctuary  stood 
an  altar  with  that  undying  fire  upon  it,  the  extinction 
of  which  boded  as  much  evil  to  the  empire,  as  that  of 
the  Vestal  flame  would  have  done  in  ancient  Rome. 
Here  also  wa^j  the  huge  cylindrical  drum  made  of  ser- 

adieu  to  the  companions  of  his  revelries.  One  of  the  royal  barges 
transported  him  across  the  lake  to  a  temple  which  rose  on  its  margin, 
about  a  league  from  the  city.  Hither  the  inhabitants  of  the  capital 
flocked  to  witness  the  consummation  of  the  ceremony.  As  the  sad 
procession  wound  up  the  sides  of  the  pyramid,  the  unhappy  victim 
threw  away  his  gay  chaplcts  of  flowers,  and  broke  in  pieces  the  in- 
struments of  music  with  which  he  had  solaced  the  hours  of  captivity. 
On  the  summit  ho  was  received  by  six  priests,  whose  long  and  matted 
locks  flowed  disorderly  over  their  sable  robes,  covered  with  hierogly- 
phic scrolls  of  mystic  import.  They  led  him  to  the  sacrificial  stone, 
a  huge  block  of  jasper,  with  its  upper  surface  somewhat  convex.  On 
this  the  victim  was  stretched.  F'ive  priests  secured  his  head  and  his 
limbs,  while  the  sixth,  clad  in  a  scarlet  mantle,  emblematic  of  his 
bloody  oflicc,  dexterously  opened  the  breast  of  the  wretched  victim 
with  a  sharp  razor  of  itzli,  a  volcanic  substance  hard  as  flint,  and 
inserting  his  hand  in  the  wound,  tore  out  the  palpitating  heart.  The 
minister  of  death,  first  holding  this  up  towards  the  sun,  cast  it  at  the 
feet  of  the  deity  to  whom  the  temple  was  devoted,  and  then  expounded 
the  tragedy  as  the  type  of  human  destiny,  which,  brilliant  at  its  com- 
mencement, too  often  closes  in  sorrow  and  disaster." 


72 


ABORIGINAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


pents'  skins,  and  struck  only  on  extraordinary  occa- 
sions, when  it  sent  forth  a  melancholy  sound  that 
might  be  heard  for  miles.  The  temple  rising  high 
above  all  other  edifices  in  the  capital,  aiforded  the 
most  elevated  as  well  as  central  point  of  view.  From 
this  position  could  be  distinctly  traced  the  symmetrical 
plan  of  the  city,  with  its  principal  avenues  issuing 
from  the  four  gates  and  connecting  themselves  with 
the  causeways  which  formed  the  grand  entrances  to 
the  capital.  This  regular  and  beautiful  arrangement 
was  imitated  in  many  of  the  inferior  towns,  where  the 
great  roads  converged  towards  the  chief  teocallis  as  to 
a  common  focus." 

The  structures  of  Yucatan  and  Central  America 
possess  the  same  general  characteristics  as  those  of 
Mexico.  The  ruins  of  Uxmal,  in  Yucatan,  are  the 
most  remarkable  for  their  extent  and  variety  of  any 
which  have  been  yet  explored. 

"  They  impressed  my  mind,"  says  Catherwood,*  "  at 
the  first  glance,  with  the  same  feelings  of  wonder  and 
admiration,  with  which  I  first  caught  sight  of  the 
ruins  of  Thebes." 

The  grand  teocallis  so  nearly  resemble  the  Mexican 
one  already  mentioned,  that  it  is  needless  to  give  a 
particular  description  of  it.  It  is  called  the  "  House 
of  the  Dwarf,"  and  the    House  of  the  Diviner." 

Next  in  importance  is  the  "  Casa  del  Gobernador," 

*  "  Catherwood's  Views,  in  Central  America,  Chiapas,  and  Yuca- 
tan." 


ABORIGINAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


73 


or  House  of  the  Governor.  (Plate  V.)  This  immense 
building  is  constructed  entirely  of  hewn  stone,  and  mea- 
sures three  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  front,  by  forty 
feet  in  depth  ;  the  height  is  about  twenty -six  feet.  It 
has  eleven  doorways  in  front,  and  one  at  each  end. 
The  apartments  are  narrow,  seldom  exceeding  twelve 
feet.  The  peculiar  arch  of  the  country  has  been  em- 
ployed in  every  room. 

The  Casa  del  Gobernador  stands  on  three  terraces ; 
the  lowest  is  three  feet  high,  fifteen  feet  wide,  and 
five  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  long ;  the  second  is 
twenty  feet  high;  the  third,  nineteen  feet  high,  and 
three  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long ;  it  is  in  a  remark- 
ably good  state  of  preservation. 

As  this  building  is  one  of  the  finest  that  has  been 
explored,  and  gives  a  complete  idea  of  the  manner  in 
which  these  edifices  were  ornamented,  we  would  com- 
mend the  reader  to  Mr.  Stephens's  full  and  accurate 
description.* 

It  would  seem  as  if  this  immense  edifice  had  been  first 
built  and  the  stones  afterwards  carved ;  for  each  stone 
by  itself  is  an  unmeaning  fractional  [)ortion,  but  by  the 
side  of  others  it  forms  part  of  a  whole,  without  which 
it  would  be  incomplete.  All  these  ornaments  may 
have  a  symbolical  meaning,  and  each  stone  be  a  part 
of  a  history,  allegory,  or  fable. 

Up  to  the  cornice,  which  runs  round  the  whole 
length  and  the  four  sides  of  the    Casa,"  the  fa(;'ade 


*    Incidents  of  Travel  in  Vucntan." 


74 


ABORIGINAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


presents  a  smooth  surface ;  above,  is  one  solid  mass  of 
rich,  complicated,  and  elaborately  sculptured  orna- 
ments, forming  a  sort  of  arabesque. 

The  finest  ornament  is  over  the  centre  doorway.  It 
seems  to  have  been  a  sitting  figure  with  an  enormous 
head-dress  of  bunches  of  feathers  symmetrically  ar- 
ranged. 

A  peculiar  ornament,  called  by  Waldeck  an  ele- 
phant's trunk,  appears  all  over  the  facade  and  at  the 


Fig.  10. 


corners ;  and  throughout  all  the  buildings  it  is  met 
with  oftener  than  any  other  design  in  Uxmal.  How 
astonishing,  that  all  these  carvings  should  have  been 
executed  without  the  use  of  iron ! 

The  rear  elevation  of  the  "  Casa"  is  a  solid  wall, 
nine  feet  thick.  Like  the  front,  it  was  ornamented 
with  sculpture,  but  less  gorgeous  and  elaborate.  The 


ABORIGINAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


75 


roof  is  flat,  and  had  been  covered  with,  cement,  but  is 
now  overgrown  with  grass  and  bushes. 

The  long  narrow  apartments  within,  more  resemble 
corridors  or  galleries,  than  rooms,  some  of  them  being 
twenty-three  feet  high,  and  only  eleven  or  thirteen 
wide;  some  of  them  have  but  one  door  of  entrance, 
and  none  of  them  windows. 

The  walls  are  constructed  of  square  smooth  blocks 
of  stone.    The  floors  are  of  cement. 

The  prints  of  a  red  hand  were  found  upon  all  this, 
and  all  the  ruined  buildings  of  the  country.  They 
had  been  painted  upon  the  stone  by  the  living  hand, 
with  the  thumb  and  fingers  extended,  moistened  with 
red  paint.  The  seams  and  creases  of  the  palm  were 
clear  and  distinct  in  the  impression.  What  Cham- 
pollion  shall  decipher  the  mysterious  hieroglyphics 
which  are  everywhere  sculptured  upon  these  build- 
ings ? 

Other  buildings,  that  were  once  attached  to  the 
Casa,"  still  rear  their  solemn  ruins  in  its  vicinity. 
Although  these  buildings  afford  no  useful  designs  for 
the  modern  architect,  and  the  sculptured  ornaments  are 
fantastic  and  grotesque,  yet  as  specimens  of  art  among 
a  semi-barbarous  people,  they  are  exceedingly  interest- 
ing. They  have  a  picturesque  appearance  in  the  beauti- 
fully coloured  Views"  of  Catherwood,  and  the  splendid 
engravings  of  the  magnificent  work  of  Lord  Kings- 
borough.    Some  of  the  sculptures,  as  represented  in 


76 


ABORIGINAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


the  latter,^  had  a  smooth,  delicate  finish,  that  would 
not  disgrace  the  chisel  of  a  modern  artist. 

Another  feature  in  the  Aboriginal  Architecture, 
which  must  claim  our  attention,  is  the  arch. 

"  A  true  arch  is  formed  of  a  series  of  wedgelike  stones, 
or  of  bricks,  supporting  each  other,  and  all  bound  to- 
gether by  the  pressure  of  the  centre  one  upon  them, 
which  latter  is  therefore  distinguished  by  the  name 
of  the  keystone." 

No  such  arch  has  been  found  among  these  ruins. 
Wilkinson,  Gliddon,  and  others,  give  representations 
of  the  Egyptian  arch,  but  may  they 
not  have  been  formed  like  these 
Aboriginal  arches  ?  In  many  in- 
stances  they  were  constructed  of  two 
large  stones  laid  together  and  meet- 
ing at  the  top. 

"The  stones  forming  the  side  walls  are  made  to 
overlap  each  other  until  the  walls  almost  meet  above, 
and  then  the  narrow  ceilings  are  covered  with  a  layer 
of  flat  stones.  In  every  case  the  stones  were  laid  in 
horizontal  layers,  the  principle  of  constructing  arches, 
as  understood  by  us,  being  unknown  to  the  original 
builders.  This  accounts  for  the  extreme  narrowness 
of  all  their  rooms.    In  a  few  cases  the  covering  stone 

*  "  Antiquities  of  Mexico a  work  in  seven  folio  volumes,  which 
owes  its  publication  to  the  truly  noble  munificence  of  Lord  Kingsbo- 
rough. 


ABORIGINAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


77 


is  wanting,  and  the  two  sides  meet  so  as  to  form  a 
sharp  angle."* 

In  Yucatan,  the  inner  surfaces  of  the  stones  were 
smoothed,  and  therefore  must  have  presented  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  regular  arch,  but  not  a  semicircular  one. 

What  are  the  nations  of  the  Old  Continent  whose 
style  of  architecture  bears  most  resemblance  to  that  of 
the  remarkable  monuments  of  Chiapa  and  Yucatan  ? 
The  points  of  resemblance  will  be  found  neither  nu- 
merous nor  decisive.  There  is  indeed  some  analogy 
both  to  the  Egyptian,  and  Asiatic  style  of  architecture 
in  the  pyramidal  terrace-formed  bases,  on  w^iich  the 
buildings  repose.  A  similar  care  also,  was  observed 
in  the  people  of  both  hemispheres,  to  adjust  the  position 
of  their  buildings  to  the  cardinal  points.  The  walls  in 
both  are  covered  with  figures  and  hieroglyphics,  w^hich 
on  the  American,  as  on  the  Egyptian,  may  be  designed 
to  record  the  laws  and  historical  annals  of  the  nation. 
These  figures,  as  well  as  the  buildings  themselves,  are 
found  to  have  been  stained  with  various  dyes,  princi- 
pally vermilion,  a  favourite  colour  with  the  Egyptians 
also,  who  painted  their  colossal  statues,  and  temples  of 
granite. 

Notwithstanding  these  points  of  similarity,  the 
Aboriginal  Architecture  has  little  to  remind  us  of  the 
Egyptian  or  the  Oriental.  It  must  be  admitted  to 
have  a  character  of  originality  peculiar  to  itself  "f 

*  Stephens.  t  Prcscott's  Conquest  of  Mexico. 


78 


ABORIGINAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


Their  sculpture  and  their  hieroglyphics  give  us  no 
light  to  guide  us  to  the  discovery  of  their  antiquity, 
and  the  origin  of  these  singular  buildings.  Who  in- 
habited these  edifices,  upon  which  the  large  trees  now 
twine  their  roots  among  the  loosened  stones  ? 

Le  Noir,  gives  them  an  antiquity  of  trois  milk  ans^' 
and  says,  "  Ceci  n'est  point  mon  opinion  seule ;  c'est 
celle  de  tons  les  voyageurs  qui  ont  vu  les  mines." 

Colonel  Galindo,  pronounces  this  country,  "  the  true 
cradle  of  civilization." 

Mr.  Waldeck,  from  the  old  trees  and  the  stalactites 
in  some  of  the  ruins,  computes  the  age  of  the  buildings 
at  two  or  three  thousand  years. 

Others  have  gone  so  far  as  to  give  them  an  antedilu- 
vian origin. 

The  old  Spanish  writer,  Bernal  Diaz,  believed  the 
Jews  to  have  been  the  builders,  and  this  is  the  opinion 
which  Lord  Kingsborough  has  laboured  to  establish. 
One  thing  is  certain,  that  the  Aztecs  and  the  builders 
of  Uxmal  were  a  superior  race  to  any  that  were  found 
inhabiting  this  country,  when  it  was  conquered  by 
the  Spaniards. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


CYCLOPEAN  AND  ETRUSCAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

Ages  before  the  Romans  existed,  the  fair  land  of  Italy 
was  inhabited  by  nations  who  have  left  indestructible 
monuments  as  the  only  records  of  their  history.  Those 
wonderful  cities  of  early  Italy  which  have  been  termed 
Cyclopean,  are  thickly  scattered  throughout  certain 
districts,  and  are  often  perched  like  eagles'  nests,  on 
the  very  crests  of  mountains,  at  such  an  elevation  as 
to  strike  amazement  into  the  traveller  who  now  visits 
them,  and  to  bewilder  him  with  speculations  as  to  the 
state  of  society  which  could  have  driven  men  to  such 
scarcely  accessible  spots  for  habitation,  and  to  entrench 
themselves  therein  with  such  stupendous  fortifications. 
The  choice  of  such  sites  seems  to  indicate  a  state  of 
society  little  removed  from  barbarism,  in  which  there 
was  no  security  nor  confidence  between  the  several 
communities,  and  the  only  law  was, 

"  The  good  old  rule — the  simple  plan, 
That  he  should  take  who  has  the  power. 
And  he  should  keep — who  can.'* 


80 


i 

ETRUSCAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


The  walls  of  the  Cyclopean  cities  are  formed  of 
huge  blocks  of  limestone  or  other  calcareous  stone, 
roughly  hewn,  or,  as  in  the  walls  of  Tyrius,  not  shaped 
by  the  chisel,  and  in  all  cases  laid  together  without 
cement.  The  Cyclopean  gates  are  square;  an  enor- 
mous stone  lying  over  two  upright  ones.  There  are, 
however,  some  rude  attempts  at  an  arch,  the  stones 
being  arranged  so  as  to  meet  at  the  top,  in  the  same 
manner  as  they  were  formed,  by  the  Aboriginal  Archi- 
tects of  Central  America.  The  true  arch  is  never 
found  in  this  style. 

The  cities  of  Etruria  generally  stood  on  low  ground, 
although  there  are  exceptions  to  this  rule,  and  they 
were  less  ancient  than  the  Cyclopean.  The  finest 
specimens  of  the  Etruscan  walls  are  built  of  large 
blocks  of  hewn  stone  laid  in  regular  courses. 

It  is  in  the  gateways  and  vaults  of  Etruscan  Archi- 
tecture, compared  with  those  of  the  Cyclopean,  that 
we  find  superior  skill  in  the  art.  The  perfect  arch, 
formed  of  massive  stones  fitted  together  without  ce- 
ment, is  the  most  striking  feature  in  these  architec- 
tural remains.  There  are  many  specimens  in  Etruria 
which  the  researches  of  modern  travellers  have  brought 
to  light. 

Of  Etruscan  bridges  with  a  single  arch,  several 
now  stand  as  firmly  as  they  did  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  centuries  ago."  It  is  impossible  to  determine  how 
long  they  have  been  built.    The  Etruscans  were  the 


ETRUSCAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


81 


people,  doubtless,  from  whom  the  Romans  in  their 
early  day  derived  the  arts  and  sciences. 

Their  roads  were  cut  through  rocks  to  lessen  the 
distance,  like  the  tunnelling  of  modern  times.  "  In 
their  sepulchres  there  is  a  great  variety  of  character ; 
in  none  is  there  any  resemblance  to  the  Roman ;  in 
most  respects  they  differ  from  the  Grecian,  but  they  are 
very  similar  to  the  Egyptian ;  some  of  them  were  ex- 
cavated in  the  face  of  the  rock,  and  others  were  below 
the  surface  of  the  ground." 

The  tombs  of  fJtruria  appear  to  have  been  an  imi- 
tation of  the  dwelling-house  of  the  living.  They  have 
sloping  roofs,  and  in  the  interior  the  ceilings  are 
finished  with  rafters  in  relief ;  the  walls  too,  are 
panelled  in  relief ;  and  a  modern  traveller  exclaims. 
Come,  see,  and  believe,  ye  incredulous !  easy  arm- 
chairs ivith  footstools  attached,  all  carved  out  of  the 
living  rock.  Then  the  articles  of  furniture  bear  out 
this  view — the  vases,  the  amphorsB,  jugs,  goblets, 
drinking-horns,  the  wine-coolers,  glass  bottles,  the 
plates,  cups,  saucers,  spoons,  &c.,  &c.,  in  bronze  and 
earthenware — the  mirrors,  rings,  and  necklaces, — the 
armour  and  weapons.  What  mean  all  these  as  sepul- 
chral furniture,  if  the  belief  were  not  entertained  that 
departed  spirits  would  in  another  state  have  similar 
necessities  to  what  they  had  in  this,  and  if  the  tomb 
were  not  intended  to  be,  to  a  great  extent,  the  counter- 
part of  the  abode  of  the  living  ?" 

6 


CHAPTER  IX. 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

Greece — pride  of  the  world ! 

"  Though  broken  is  each  consecrated  shrine, 
Though  crushed  and  ruined  all," 

yet,  every  age  shall  own  thee  as  the  alma  mater  of 
poetry,  eloquence,  sculpture,  and  architecture. 

Perfection,  cannot  be  claimed  for  any  of  the  works 
of  man ;  it  belongs  only  to  the  Divine  Architect  of  the 
universe ;  His  power  and  knowledge  are  but  faintly 
reflected  by  human  intellect. 

The  sages  and  philosophers  of  Greece,  travelled  into 
Egypt,  Persia,  and  India,  gaining  a  knowledge  of  the 
arts  and  sciences,  and  on  their  return,  imparted  it  to 
their  fellow-countrymen.  The  Grecian  colonists  who 
settled  the  peninsula  and  the  beautiful  islands  of  the 
blue  ^gean,  came  from  countries  already  far  advanced 
in  civilization. 

Their  architecture  bears  sufficient  resemblance  to 
the  best  specimens  of  the  Egyptian,  to  prove  that  they 
had  studied  and  improved  upon  it. 

It  was  not  till  a  short  time  before  the  Peloponnesian 
war,  about  B.  C.  450,  that  the  arts  arrived  at  their 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


83 


highest  excellenoe  among  the  Greeks.  The  genius  of 
this  wonderful  people  was  employed  in  the  invention 
of  mechanical  and  decorative  architecture,  until  it  was 
formed  into  three  distinct  orders,  the  Doric,  Ionic,  and 
Corinthian. 

Every  order  is  marked  by  the  form,  proportions,  and 
ornaments,  of  the  column  and  entablature.  These  are 
the  governing  members,  with  which  every  other  part  of 
a  building  must  harmonize.  It  is  not  alone  the  cost- 
liness, magnificence,  and  antiquity  of  a  Grecian  edifice 
that  render  it  beautiful ;  the  beauty  of  proportion  is 
independent  of  these.  The  eye,  even  of  an  unprac- 
tised observer,  when  viewing  a  magnificent  building,  is 
never  satisfied,  unless  the  weights  appear  to  be  duly 
supported  ;  and  it  receives  a  corresponding  pleasure 
when  that  is  the  case."  Hence,  if  the  entablature, 
which  is  the  only  weight  that  a])pears,  be  heavy,  the 
column  which  supports  it  must  be  large,  to  give  it  the 
appearance  of  strength;  if  tlie  entablature  be  light,  the 
column  must  also  be  light. 

The  proportions  of  the  Grecian  orders,  connected  as 
they  are  with  the  idefus  of  utility  and  fitness,  have 
stood  the  test  of  time  and  experience,  and  are  still  the 
classic  models  for  mankind. 

"  First  unadorned 
And  nobly  plain,  the  ninnly  Doric  rose; 
The  Ionic  then,  with  drcent  matron  grace 
Her  airy  pillar  heaved  ;  luxuriant  last, 
The  rich  Corinthian  spread  her  wanton  wreath." 


84 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


DORIC  ORDER. 

The  Doric,  the  most  simple  and  ancient  of  these 
orders,  was  invented  by  the  Dorians. 

Their  country  abounded  with  forests,  and  the  first 
habitations  of  the  colonists,  were  probably  constructed 
of  wood.  Upright  posts  were  the  pillars,  supporting  a 
roof  with  projecting  eaves.  Temples  were,  in  time, 
built  in  the  same  oblong  form,  with  columns  of  marble 
supporting  an  entablature.  In  the  course  of  time, 
these  simple  structures  were  decorated  to  conceal  the 
mechanical  construction. 

The  column  is  without  a  base.  (Plate  VI.)  The 
shaft  is  fluted,  usually  with  twenty  flat  flutes  or  conca- 
vities. It  has  been  suggested  that  the  shaft  was  origi- 
nally plain,  and  that  the  flu  tings  were  invented,  to 
form  a  convenient  place  for  the  long  spears  of  the 
soldiers  who  visited  the  temple.  Although  this  ap- 
pears fanciful,  it  may  be  true  ;  many  inventions  have 
been  designed  for  utility,  and  continued  for  ornament ; 
the  Egyptian  columns,  however,  were  reeded,  and  the 
change  from  convex  ornamenting,  to  concave,  seems 
very  slight. 

Among  the  many  remains  of  the  Doric  order,  the 
proportions  vary.  The  most  ancient  columns  are 
shorter  in  proportion  to  their  diameter,  than  those  of  a 
later  origin,  being  only  five  diameters  in  height. 

Taking  the  diameter  of  the  Doric  column,  Plate  VI., 
at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft,  the  height  of  the  whole 


Plate  VI. 


PARTH  ENON 


> 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


85 


Fio. 12. 


shaft  is  six  diameters.  From  a  careful  comparison 
of  ancient  Doric  columns,  the  following  proportions 
have  been  established.  The  shaft,  six  diameters;  the 
capital,  half  a  diameter;  the  abacus,  quarter  of  a  diame- 
ter. The  shaft  diminishes  in  thickness  as  it  ascends  ; 
where  it  joins  the  capitcd,  it  is  nearly  a  quarter  less  in 
diameter  than  at  the  bottom,  where  it  rests  upon  the 
platform.  The  abacus  is  considered  the  upper  member 
of  the  capital :  it  is  here  a  flat  square  plinth ;  beneath 
it,  is  the  large,  finely  formed  ovoh  ;  below  this  are  three 
annulets  or  rings,  which  complete  the  Doric  capital. 

The  entablature  is  heavy.    The  architrave  is  orna- 
mented with  conical  drops 
or  guttce,  as  they  are  called. 

frieze  is  sculptured 
with  triglyphs,  an  ornament 
peculiar  to  this  order.  The 
square  places  between  these 
trigly  phs  are  called  metopes, 
and  are  often  ornamented 
w^ith  sculpture. 

The  cornice,  has  a  large 
projecting  moulding,  under 
which  are  placed  square 
blocks,  named  mutides,  ornamented  with  drops ;  these 
mutules  are  jilaced  directly  over  the  trigly  phs  and 
metopes. 

The  finest  specimen  of  tlie  Doric  order  is  the  temple 
of  Minerva  Parthen(m,  at  .\thens.    (Plate  VI.)  Peri- 


86 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


cles  resolved  that  Athens  should  be  the  admiration  of 
the  world,  and  that  her  architecture  should  keep  pace 
with  her  military  and  intellectual  renown.  When  the 
temple  of  Minerva  Parthenon  was  to  be  built,  many 
grand  designs  were  offered  to  the  Athenians  for  their 
choice.  Ictinus  was  the  successful  architect,  whose 
design  met  with  their  approbation.  Callicrates  was 
also  employed  upon  it.  A  small  temple,  raised  by 
Cimon,  in  honour  of  Theseus,  was  the  model  of  the 
Parthenon.  It  has  been  remarked  that  "  the  Doric 
column  is  in  fact  Egyptian,  modified  to  a  new  position 
and  worship,  and  that  the  nobler  specimens  are  but 
reduced  and  petty  imitations  of  those  ancient  and 
indestructible  supporters  to  the  temples  of  Thebes,  of 
Memphis,  and  Tentyra." 

The  sculptures  which  decorated  this  temple,  were 
designed  by  Phidias,  and  executed  by  his  scholars. 
Ictinus,  the  architect,  wrote  a  work  on  the  architecture 
of  the  Parthenon,  which  is  quoted  by  Vitruvius.  The 
Grecian  temples  are  all  oblong,  and  about  twice  as 
long  as  they  are  broad.  The  Parthenon  was  225  feet 
in  length,  and  100  in  breadth ;  the  height  of  the  en- 
trance was  thirty-six  feet. 

There  were  eight  columns  at  each  front,  and  seven- 
teen on  each  side,  counting  those  at  the  angle  twice. 
Besides  these,  there  was  an  inner  row  of  columns  at 
each  end,  which  stood  upon  a  platform  two  steps  higher 
than  the  outer  row.  The  diameter  of  the  columns  of 
the  outer  row,  is  six  feet,  two  inches ;  their  height,  in- 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


87 


eluding  the  capitals,  thirty-four  feet.  The  Parthenon 
has  an  inclined  roof,  the  ends  of  which  are  finished 
with  a  cornice,  similar  to  the  one  upon  the  entablature. 
The  triangular  space  formed  by  this  cornice  and  the 
entablature  is  called  ^a,  pediment.  On  the  eastern  pedi- 
ment of  the  Parthenon  was  an  elaborate  sculpture, 
representing  Jupiter  and  Minerva,  with  their  atten- 
dants ;  on  the  western  pediment,  Minerva  and  Neptune. 
These  sculptures,  and  others  from  the  entablature, 
were  a  part  of  the  spoils  now  so  famous  as  the  Elgin 
marbles,  of  the  British  Museum.  Byron's  indig- 
nation was  excited  against  Lord  Elgin  for  these  spoli- 
ations, and  he  has  administered  in  several  stanzas  his 
caustic  reproof 

But  who  of  all  the  plunderers  of  yon  fane 

On  higli,  where  Pallas  lingered,  loth  to  flee 
The  latest  relic  of  her  ancient  reign  ; 

The  last,  the  worst  dull  spoiler,  who  was  he  ? 
Blush,  Caledonia  !  such  thy  son  could  be ! 

England  !  I  joy  no  child  he  was  of  ihine  : 
Thy  free-born  nien  should  spare  what  once  was  free  ; 

Yet  they  could  violate  each  saddening  shrine. 
And  bear  these  altars  o'er  the  long  reluctant  brine. 

But  most  the  modern  Picl's  ignol)lo  l)oast 

To  rive  what  CkjIIi,  and  Turk,  and  time  hath  spared. 

Cold  as  the  crags  upon  his  native  coast. 
His  mind  as  barren  and  his  heart  as  hard  ; 

So  he  whose  head  conceived,  whose  hand  prepared 


88 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


Aught  to  displace  Athena's  poor  remains, 
Her  sons  too  weak  the  sacred  shrine  to  guard."* 

Part  of  the  beautiful  Parthenon  was  destroyed  by 
the  explosion  of  a  magazine  which  the  Turks  had 
placed  within  its  walls,  when  Athens,  in  1687,  was 
besieged  by  the  Venetians.  Enough  of  it  remained 
when  Stuart  visited  Athens,  about  1765,  to  enable 
him  to  give  a  perfect  representation  of  it,  and  Plate 
VI.  is  from  his  view,  as  restored  to  its  pristine  glory. 
When  the  columns  or  other  parts  fell,  the  Turks  some- 
times used  them  for  their  buildings,  but  it  is  said,  that 
they  rarely  destroyed  or  defaced  these  beautiful  ruins. 
The  Parthenon  stood  upon  the  grand  platform  or  area 
of  the  Acropolis.  On  this  elevation  were  accumulated 
those  edifices  whose  surpassing  beauty  will  long  re- 
main the  world's  wonder.  In  sight  of  these  splendid 
structures,  perhaps  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  sculp- 
tured Parthenon,  St.  Paul  stood  upon  "  Mars'  Hill," 
the  hill  of  Areopagus,  and  exclaimed,  "Ye  men  of 
Athens,  I  perceive  that  in  all  things  ye  are  too  super- 
stitious. For  as  I  passed  by,  and  beheld  your  devo- 
tions, I  found  an  altar  with  this  inscription,  '  To  the 
UNKNOWN  God.'  Whom,  therefore,  ye  ignorantly 
worship,  him  declare  I  unto  you.  God,  that  made  the 
world  and  all  things  therein,  seeing  that  he  is  Lord  of 

*  Lord  Elgin  has  given  his  apology  for  these  spoliations  in  a  small 
work,  entitled  "  Memorandum  on  the  Subject  of  the  Earl  of  Elgin's 
Pursuits  in  Greece,"  London,  1811. 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


89 


heaven  and  earth,  dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with 
hands.  Forasmuch,  then,  as  we  are  the  offspring  of 
God,  we  ought  not  to  think  that  the  Godhead  is  like 
unto  gold,  or  silver,  or  stone,  graven  by  art  and  man's 
device." 

The  statue  of  the  Goddess  Minerva,  executed  by 
Phidias,  occupied  one  apartment  of  the  Parthenon. 
This  statue  was  thirty-nine  feet  high,  of  ivory,  covered 
with  gold,  and  for  richness  and  exquisite  beauty  of 
workmanship,  was  unsurpassed  by  any  statue  of  an- 
tiquity. Another  apartment  was  used  for  the  public 
treasury. 

There  are  splendid  remains  of  temples  of  the  Doric 
order  in  Italy  and  Sicily.  The  Greeks  founded 
colonies  in  both  these  countries,  and  the  monuments 
of  their  genius  remain  as  a  testimony  to  the  power 
and  opulence  of  those  colonies.  History  contains  no 
record  of  the  architects  who  constructed  these  mighty 
temples ;  even  the  time  when  their  majestic  columns 
arose,  or  when  they  were  prostrated  in  the  dust,  has 
been  whelmed  in  oblivion. 

There  was  a  temple  of  Minerva  at  Syracuse;  six 
temples  at  Selinus,  one  of  which  must  have  been  so 
magnificent  in  size,  as  nearly  to  rival  the  massive 
monuments  of  Egypt.  The  porticoes  of  this  temple 
were  supported  by  Doric  columns  sixty  feet  high,  and 
thirty  in  circumference ;  the  length  of  the  temple  was 
three  hundred  and  thirty -one  feet ;  the  immense  piles 
of  ruins  attest  the  prodigious  size  of  these  temples. 


90 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


At  Agrigentum,  are  the  remains  of  several  temples, 
the  largest  of  which  was  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Olym- 
pus, one  of  the  most  imposing  fabrics  that  was  ever 
reared  by  man.  The  capitals  of  the  Doric  columns  of 
this  stupendous  structure  measure  eight  feet  and  two 
inches  in  height.  The  traveller  wanders  over  these 
buried  ruins  with  mournful  solemnity,  meditating 
upon  the  might  and  majesty  of  the  genius  of  man, 
and  the  insufficiency  of  material  structures  to  render 
his  name  immortal. 

In  Southern  Italy  are  the  ruins  of  Psestum.  Three 
temples  may  still  be  seen,  two  of  which  are  very 
perfect.  The  columns  are  only  a  little  more  than 
four  diameters  in  height ;  the  entablature  very  heavy. 
The  whole  appearance  of  the  temples,  in  consequence 
of  these  proportions,  is  less  pleasing  than  that  of  the 
Parthenon. 

No  order  can  exceed  the  Doric  in  chaste  simplicity 
and  solemn  grandeur.  It  is  well  adapted  to  public 
edifices,  where  strength  and  durability  are  sought,  and 
where  the  expression  intended  is  grave  and  majestic. 
The  straight  outlines  and  large  square  forms  of  Egyp- 
tian edifices  are  expressive  of  power,  of  strength,  and 
durability,  and  fill  the  mind  with  wonder  and  awe ; 
the  perfect  proportions  of  the  Doric  temples,  with  their 
simple  ornaments,  excite  a  different  emotion.  There 
is  a  harmonious  distribution  of  the  members,  producing 
perfect  unity  in  the  whole  building,  and  the  emotion 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


91 


of  beauty  which  fills  the  spectator,  though  less  over- 
powering, is,  perhaps,  more  pleasurable. 

The  details  too,  excite  unqualified  admiration. 
Every  capital  is  perfect  in  its  symmetry.  The  grace- 
ful ovolo,  swells  out  into  its  beautiful  form,  as  polished 
and  smooth  as  the  most  delicate  shell  from  "  the  dark 
unfathomed  caves  of  ocean."  Every  stone  in  the  ma- 
jestic pile  was  so  exquisitely  prepared  for  its  neighbour, 
that  not  the  slightest  crevice  appears  upon  the  ex- 
terior ;  the  whole  vast  column  seems  hewn  from  a 
single  block  ;  the  line  is  perfect  to  the  lifted  eye  of  the 
wondering  artist,  as  again  and  again  he  follows  the 
shaft  from  its  firm  rest  upon  the  pavement,  to  the  an- 
nulets of  its  capital. 

This  chaste  and  elegant  style  was  the  favourite 
order  throughout  Greece  and  its  European  colonies, 
until  after  the  Macedonian  conquest. 

THE  IONIC  ORDER. 

The  colonies  which  were  planted  by  the  Greeks  in 
Asia  Minor,  were  called  Ionia.  Populous  and  rich, 
the  sciences  and  arts  were  cultivated  by  the  lonians 
with  great  success.  They  have  given  their  name  to 
one  of  the  three  orders  of  Grecian  Architecture,  but 
whether  they  invented  it,  or  only  improved  upon  the 
Doric,  is  still  a  disputed  point,  not  easy,  and  not  im- 
portant to  decide. 


\ 


92  GRECIANARCHITECTURE. 

The  Ionic  order  is  more  light  and  delicate  than  the 

Doric ;  the  height  of  its  co- 
lumn is  greater  in  propor- 
tion to  its  diameter.  The 
capital  is  ornamented  with 
volutes.  The  origin  of  this 
peculiar  ornament  is  con- 
jectural. The  curls  in  fe- 
male head-dress;  the  beau- 
tiful spiral  forms  of  sea- 
shells,  particularly  the  cornu 
ammonis ;  the  graceful  unfolding  fern ;  the  horns  of 
rams  offered  in  sacrifice,  and  originally  suspended 
about  the  temples :  these  all  have  been  suggested  as 
guiding  the  artist  in  designing  the  volutes  of  the  Ionic 
capital.  Encircling  this  capital  is  the  eschinus,  formed 
of  the  egg  and  dart ;  and  the  astragal 
having  a  beading  formed  of  one  large 
and  two  small  beads,  alternately. 
These  are  the  mouldings  usually  found  upon  the  Ionic 
capital. 

The  shaft  is  cut  into  about  twenty-four  deep  flutes, 
which  are  sometimes  filled  in  w^ith  reeding,  for  some 
distance  from  the  base.  The  edges  of  the  flutings  do 
not  meet  like  the  Doric,  but  are  separated  by  a  flat 
surface  or  fillet.  In  some  instances,  Ionic  shafts  were 
plain,  without  fluting  or  reeding.  The  shafts  were 
usually  eight  diameters  in  height. 

The  Ionic  column  has  a  base,  and  the  entablature  is 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


93 


differently  ornamented  from  the  Doric.  The  cornice 
has  dentils  or  teeth,  and  the  egg  and  dart  moulding;  the 
frieze  is  generally  plain  :  in  some  remains  of  this  order 
it  is  wanting,  the  entablature  consisting  only  of  cornice 
and  architrave.  The  triglyphs  and  sculptured  metopes 
destroyed  the.  unity  of  the  Doric  frieze ;  in  the  Ionic 
entablature  the  horizontal  line  was  unbroken. 

The  Temple  of  Erectheus 
at  Athens  (Plate  VI.)  is  a 
beautiful  relic  of  the  Ionic 
order.  Its  lijirht  and  (graceful 
})roportions,  and  its  beautiful 
capitals.  Fig.  15,  have  been 
studied  with  pleasure  and 
advantage  by  modern  archi- 
tects. 

The  celebrated  Temple  of  Diana,  at  Ephesus,  was  of 
the  Ionic  order.  It  was  four  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet  in  length,  two  hundred  and  twenty  in  breadth, 
and  seventy  feet  in  height.  This  splendid  edifice,  to 
which  all  the  Grecian  colonies  contributed,  was  wan- 
tonly burnt,  the  same  night  on  which  Alexander  the 
Great  was  born.  The  object  of  the  villain,  who  per- 
petrated the  deed,  was  to  render  himself  famous 
throughout  all  time  ;  the  Ephesians  forbade  by  a  law, 
with  severe  penalties,  that  his  name  should  be  uttered. 
Nevertheless,  Erostratus  is  a  name  too  infamous  to  be 
forgotten.    It  was  rebuilt  by  the  artist  Dinocrates,  and 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


had  been  standing  for  about  four  hundred  years,  when 
St.  Paul  preached  to  the  Ephesians,  and  "  filled  the 
whole  city  with  confusion."  The  pure  gospel,  which 
the  Apostle  declared  unto  them,  would  lead  to  the 
entire  destruction  of  the  worship  of  the  great  God- 
dess Diana;"  instead,  therefore,  of  answering  St.  Paul 
with  arguments,  ^'  they  all  with  one  voice,  about  the 
space  of  two  hours,  cried  out,  Great  is  Diana  of  the 
Ephesians !" 


A  fanciful  origin  has  been  given  to  this  order.  A 
young  Corinthian  lady  died  and  was  sincerely  mourn- 
ed by  her  faithful  nurse ;  as  a  tribute  of  affection,  this 
humble  friend  placed  upon  the  grave  of  her  young 
mistress  a  basket,  covered  with  a  tile,  containing  her 
jewels.    As  if  to  beautify  this  act  of  love,  a  graceful 


our  feelings  to  prove  so 
sweet  a  record  in  the  annals  of  art  to  be  apocryphal, 
but  the  Egyptian  capitals  were  so  frequently  formed 


CORINTHIAN  ORDER. 


Fig.  16. 


acanthus  spread  its  leaves 
around  the  basket,  and 
thus  was  suggested  to 
Callimachus,  the  sculptor, 
the  Corinthian  capital. 


It  does  not  accord  with 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


95 


of  rows  of  delicate  leaves,  that  Callimachus  cannot  lay 
claim  to  the  invention ;  we  may  still  believe  that  in 
this  case  genins  may  have  seized  upon  an  accidental 
circumstance,  and  reproduced,  in  a  more  perfect  and 
beautiful  form,  what  had  long  been  invented. 

The  body  of  the  capital 
is  a  vase  or  basket ;  upon 
it  rests  an  abacus,  not 
square,  but  four-cornered, 
with  concave  sides,  mould- 
ed and  ornamented  in  the  ■  - 

middle  of  each  side  with  a  ^^^i^^^^p^^^^^^ 
honeysuckle  or  other  flow- 
er. The  lower  part  of  the 
capital  is  decorated  with 
two  rows  of  leaves,  eight 
in  each  row.  A  space  between  the  abacus  and  leaves 
is  occupied  by  stalks  formed  into  delicate  volutes; 
larsrer  volutes  meet  the  four  corners  of  the  abacus. 

The  shaft  of  the  Corinthian  column  originally  had 
the  same  proportions  as  the  Ionic,  nine  diameters  in 
height ;  the  moderns  have  made  it  still  more  slender, 
sometimes  more  than  ten  diameters.  Anciently  it  was 
frequently  found  plain,  but  the  finest  specimens  were 
fluted  and  filleted  as  it  is  when  used  at  the  present 
day. 

The  entablature  and  base  were  similar  to  the  Ionic 
order,  yet  varied  in  different  edifices,  in  the  details. 


96 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


One  of  the  most  perfect  specimens  of  the  Corinthian 
order  (Plate  VII.),  is  a  beautiful  little  temple  or  monu- 
ment at  Athens.  Why,  or  wherefore  this  has  been  called 
the  Lantern  of  Demosthenes,  would  be  difficult  to  dis- 
cover.   It  is  octagonal,  with  eight  elegant  columns. 

The  most  magnificent  temple  at  Athens,  dedicated 
to  Jupiter  Olympus,  was  of  this  order.  (Plate  VII.) 
It  was  built  of  the  purest  white  marble,  and  Art,  in  the 
zenith  of  her  glory,  could  present  no  prouder  shrine. 
Vitruvius  says,  this  "  structure  is  not  spoken  of  with 
common  praise ;  the  excellence  and  sagacious  contri- 
vance have  been  approved  of  in  the  assembly  of  the 
gods." 

The  magnificent  Corinthian  columns  of  the  exterior 
w^ere  sixty  feet  in  height  and  six  feet  six  inches  in 
diameter.  The  area  of  the  temple  w^as  half  a  mile  in 
circumference.  It  had  two  ranges  of  columns  on  each 
side,  twenty-one  in  each  row,  and  ten  columns  at  each 
end. 

The  Olympeium  was  founded  by  Pisistratus,  five 
hundred  and  forty  years  before  Christ,  and  completed 
more  than  two  hundred  years  after,  by  the  architect 
Cossutius,  a  Roman  citizen  employed  by  Antiochus 
Epiphanes.  The  ideal  restoration  given  in  Plate 
VII.,  may  serve  to  convey  a  faint  idea  of  its  beauty. 
The  Corinthian  order  was  not  much  employed  by  the 
Greeks  till  after  the  conquest  of  Alexander.  Subse- 
quently, it  was  very  generally  chosen  for  all  edifices 


Plate  VII. 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  JUPITER 


I 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


97 


where  elegance,  gaiety,  and  magnificence  were  re- 
quired." 

The  stem  and  massive  simplicity  of  the  Doric  ac- 
corded much  better  with  the  taste  of  Greece  in  her 
palmy  days,  when  her  poetry  and  eloquence  possessed 
the  same  characteristics. 

Beside  the  three  Grecian  orders,  human  figures 
were  sometimes  employed  by  the  Greeks  as  supports 
for  entablatures.  When  these  figures  represented 
men,  they  were  called  Persians,  from  contempt,  and  a 
wish  to  degrade  their  enemies.  When  they  were 
women,  they  were  called  Cariatides,  from  the  people 
of  Caria,  who  had  been  the  allies  of  the  Persians  in 
some  of  their  wars  against  Greece.  (See  Plate  VI.) 
This  was  a  great  departure  from  correct  taste. 

In  the  Grecian  orders  there  is  an  union  of  strenqrth 
and  lightness,  of  simplicity  and  ornament,  of  grandeur 
and  beauty,  which  can  never  be  surpassed.  Mcxlern 
architects,  in  endeavouring  to  improve  upon  Grecian 
designs,  have  been  completely  foiled  ;  the  closest  in- 
vestigation leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  principles 
of  Grecian  Architecture  were  fixed  by  men  of  consum- 
mate science  and  skill,  and  have  their  foundation  in 
immutable  truth. 

It  is  evident  that  the  Greeks  preferred  the  fine  to 
the  useful  arts.  Their  temples  were  the  only  property 
which  they  possessed  in  common,  and  their  munifi- 
cence in  affording  the  means  for  their  erection,  attests 

7 


m  GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

the  pride  that  they  felt  in  making  these  monuments 
the  wonder  of  the  world,  when  their  private  dwelUngs 
were  still  hnmble. 

The  Greeks  knew  little  of  the  comforts  of  domestic 
life.  The  temple,  the  theatre,  the  forum,  the  schools 
of  the  philosophers,  were  the  places  of  resort  for  men ; 
wives  were  not  intellectual  companions,  and  the  grace- 
ful embellishments  of  home,  which  depend  upon  them, 
were  not  appreciated  by  their  lordly  masters. 

"  The  houses  of  the  Athenians  in  general,  consist  of 
two  sets  of  apartments ;  the  upper  story  for  the  women, 
and  the  lower  for  the  men.  The  roofs  have  terraces, 
with  a  large  projection  at  each  extremity.  In  the  front 
is  a  small  court,  or  rather  a  sort  of  portico,  at  the  end 
of  which  is  the  house  door,  where  we  find  sometimes  a 
figure  of  Mercury,  to  drive  away  thieves,  or  a  dog, 
who  is  a  much  more  effectual  guard."* 

Such  were  the  dwellings  of  Aristides  and  Themis- 
tocles ;  but  the  men  of  wealth,  in  the  later  luxurious 
days  of  Greece,  erected  more  commodious  mansions, 
which  they  embellished  with  sculpture  and  painting. 

The  plan  of  a  Grecian  house,  as  given  by  the  archi- 
tect Vitruvius,  exhibits  a  great  number  of  apartments, 
courts,  and  colonnades.  In  addition  to  the  apartments 
for  the  men  and  the  women  of  the  household,  there  were 
suites  of  apartments  for  strangers,  who  came  to  attend 
the  great  festivals,  separated  by  passages  and  entered 


*  Anacharsis. 


GRECIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


99 


by  gates  apart  from  the  main  entrance.  These  apart- 
ments were  furnished  even  with  stores  of  edibles,  that 
the  guests  might  feel  themselves  quite  at  home. 

Well  might  the  comedian  Lysippus  say  :  Whoever 
does  not  desire  to  see  Athens,  is  stupid  ;  whoever  sees 
it  without  being  delighted,  is  still  more  stupid ;  but  the 
height  of  stupidity  is,  to  see  it,  to  admire  it,  and  to 
leave  it." 


CHAPTER  X. 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

From  a  state  of  extreme  rudeness  and  barbarism, 
Rome  gradually  became  the  imperial  mistress  of  the 
world.  For  a  long  time  the  gentle  arts  of  peace  could 
find  no  place  among  her  rough  warriors.  Their  dwell- 
ing-houses ungraced  by  the  presence  of  woman,  were 
at  first,  undoubtedly,  less  commodious  than  an  Ameri- 
can log-cabin. 

Their  first  efforts  of  architectural  skill  were  employ- 
ed upon  walls  for  defence.  With  the  Tarquins,  was 
brought  the  knowledge  of  the  art  as  practised  in  Etru- 
ria.  To  the  Romans,  the  invention  of  the  arch  has 
been  attributed ;  but  since  arches  have  been  discovered 
amid  Etruscan  ruins,  older  than  Rome  itself,  it  may 
rationally  be  inferred  that  they  acquired  the  principles 
of  its  construction  from  Etruria.  The  unadorned 
works  which  they  constructed  during  the  early  ages, 
were  remarkable  for  solidity,  being  built  of  large  blocks 
of  stone,  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  proving  the 
"  early  ambition  which  projected  from  its  very  in- 
fancy, 'the  eternal  city,'  the  capital  of  the  world." 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


101 


As  Rome  extended  her  conquests,  wealth  flowed  in, 
and  with  it  a  taste  for  the  luxuries  of  life.  Greece  and 
her  beautiful  colonies  in  Sicily  and  Italy,  were  among 
these  conquests.  The  rude  Romans  must  have  gazed 
with  savage  wonder  upon  the  chaste  simplicity  of  the 
Parthenon,  and  the  surpassing  magnificence  of  the 
Temple  of  Jupiter  Olympus  at  Athens;  but  their 
religion  led  them  to  reverence,  and  to  spare  the  tem- 
ples of  deities  whom  they  worshipped  in  common  with 
the  Greeks.  The  genius  of  the  Greeks  for  Architec- 
ture, was  gradually  and  perfectly  developed  by  the 
rivalry  of  aspiring  states  and  their  ambitious,  gifted 
artists  ;  but  as  we  now  look  through  the  vista  of  ages, 
it  seems  to  have  sprung  up  spontaneously,  or  rather  to 
have  come  forth  perfect  in  all  its  proportions  and  orna- 
ments, like  their  own  Minerva  from  the  head  of  Jupi- 
ter.   At  Rome  it  was  transplanted. 

When  Marcellus  conquered  Syracuse,  a  Grecian 
colony  in  Sicily,  he  carried  the  spoils,  consisting  of 
rich  statuary,  vases,  and  pictures,  to  Rome,  to  grace 
his  triumph  and  astonish  the  Roman  citizens.  Plu- 
tarch tells  us  that  on  the  occasion  of  the  triumph 
decreed  to  Paulus  Emilius,  for  his  conquest  of  Mace- 
donia, a  whole  day  was  scarcely  suflicient  to  exhibit 
the  specimens  of  classic  art  brought  forth  for  that 
occasion.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  chariots  were  em- 
ployed to  carry  them  in  tlie  triumphal  procession. 
The  acquisition  of  these  models  of  art  did  not  elicit 
genius  ;  for  a  long  time  after,  they  imported  their  artists 


102 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


from  Greece,  or  constructed  their  edifices  from  ancient 
ruins.  When  the  spoils  of  all  nations  were  laid  at  the 
feet  of  the  mistress  of  the  world,  she  made  a  luxurious, 
a  lavish  use  of  them.  Augustus  boasted  hyperbolically, 
that  he  had  found  Rome  wood  and  brick,  and  had 
made  it  marble." 

Instead  of  inventing  any  new  orders,  the  Romans 
combined  the  arch  and  vault  with  the  Grecian  column 
and  entablature.  In  time,  the  art  gained^  in  richness 
and  luxuriancy  of  decoration,  but  lost  the  pure  and 
lovely  simplicity  of  its  native  land. 

The  Boric,  was  very  seldom  employed  by  the 
Romans ;  when  it  was  imitated,  the  proportions  and 
ornaments  were  different  from  the  Grecian. 


Fig.  18. 


Fig.  19. 


The  Tuscan  (Fig.  18)  is  sometimes  called  an  order, 
although  it  cannot  be  so  considered.  Neither  does 
what  has  been  termed  the  Composite  (Fig.  19)  deserve 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


103 


to  be  distinguished  as  an  oi'der  ;  it  was  only  an  inharmo- 
nious union  between  the  Ionic  and  Corinthian. 

The  Romans  varied  the  Ionic,  making  it  more  ela- 
borate, without  adding  to  its  20 
beauty.  (Fig.  20.)    Of  the  "  ~^ 


three  orders,  their  favourite 
was  the  Corinthian.  The 
decorative  part  of  this  order 


they  varied,  to  suit  the  cha-  '^im^'i^xKyhtih nhiMiit uk^ 
racter  of  the  building  in 
which  it  was  employed,  or 
the  taste  of  the  builder. 
Thus,  in  place  of  the  acan- 
thus, they  ornamented  the 
capitals  with  laurel,  olive,  thistle,  and  other  foliage, 
differently  disposed ;  in  place  of  volutes^  eagles,  cornu- 
copiae,  griffins,  and  other  emblems ;  and  upon  the 
entablature  they  had  an  endless  variety  of  mouldings; 
wreaths  of  flowers,  heads  of  animals,  &c.  &c. 

Although  so  little  can  be  granted  to  the  Romans  as 
inventors,  the  splendid  remains  of  their  edifices  testify 
how  successfully  they  could  employ  the  principles 
which  they  had  acc^uired.  These  remains  are  public 
roads,  aqueducts,  temples,  theatres,  tombs,  triumphal 
arches,  historical  monuments,  thermjB  or  batlis,  basi- 
licae  or  courts  of  justice,  and  Forums  or  Forii. 

The  public  roads  were  constructed  with  immense 
labour  and  expense  ;  they  extended  to  the  utmost  limits 


104 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


of  the  vast  empire.  Sometimes  they  were  paved  with 
flint  and  covered  with  gravel;  often  they  were  of 
large  basaltic  stones,  neatly  smoothed.  These  roads 
were  raised,  so  as  to  command  a  view  of  the  adjacent 
country,  and  had  sidewalks  for  foot-passengers. 

The  aqueducts  conveyed  water  to  Rome,  sometimes 
for  a  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles.  They  were 
carried  through  rocks,  over  hills,  and  through  valleys 
on  axches ;  where  the  valleys  were  deep,  one  row  of 
arches  was  placed  over  another,  and  still  another,  to 
the  height  of  more  than  a  hundred  feet.  These  aque- 
ducts were  constructed  with  as  much  regard  to  beauty 
as  utility;  they  were  ornamented  with  columns  of 
finely  sculptured  stone  and  marble. 

The  temples  of  the  Romans  were  not  like  those  of 
the  Greeks,  uniformly  oblong;  they  were  circular, 
hexagonal,  octagonal,  and  even  triangular,  and  com- 
bined of  all  these  and  many  other  forms. 

The  most  celebrated  temple  of  a  circular  form  is  the 
Pantheon  at  Rome.  (Plate  VIII.)  It  is  generally  attri- 
buted to  Agrippa;  but  careful  researches  have  led  to  the 
conjecture  that  it  was  of  earlier  origin,  and  that  Agrippa 
new-modelled  and  embellished  the  interior,  and  added 
the  superb  portico,  upon  which  is  an  inscription  which 
says  is  was  built  by  Agrippa,  27  years  before  Christ. 
It  was  afterwards  repaired  and  beautified  by  the 
Emperor  Adrian.  "The  Catholics  let  the  temple 
stand,  and  gloried  in  its  conversion  to  Christianity." 


Plate  Yin. 


fHF  PANTHEON 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


105 


It  was  consecrated  A.  D.  607,  by  Pope  Boniface  IV., 
to  the  Virgin  Mary  and  All  Saints. 

This  immense  temple  has  a  wall  nineteen  feet  in 
thickness,  in  which  are  six  chapels,  and  between 
them  eight  small  altars,  which  were  niches  for  statues. 
The  semicircle,  in  the  same  manner  hollowed  into  the 
wall,  now  forms  the  choir  of  the  great  altar,  and  is 
opposite  the  main  entrance.     These  walls  surround 
an  area  of  132  feet  in  diameter  ;  their  height  from  the 
pavement  to  the  springing  of  the  dome,  is  sixty  feet, 
and  the  whole  height  of  the  interior  132  feet!  Over 
this  spacious  area,  hangs  that  marble  firmament,  that 
self-balanced  dome,  the  glory  of  Roman  Architecture. 
The  light  is  admitted  through  a  circle  in  the  dome, 
open  to  the  bright  Italian  sky,  twenty-seven  feet  in 
diameter.     The  magnificent  portico  in  front  is  sup- 
ported by  sixteen  Corinthian  columns,  the  shafts  of 
which  are  each  formed  from  a  single  piece  of  Egyptian 
granite ;  the  bases  and  capitals  are  of  white  marble. 
The  eight  columns  of  red  granite,  in  front  of  the  portico, 
sustain  an  entablature  of  beautiful  proportions,  upon 
which  is  the  inscrii)tion  of  Agrippa,  son-in-law  of  Octa- 
vius  Augustus,  by  whom  it  was  dedicated  to  Mars  and 
Jupiter  Avenger,  in  memory  of  the  victory  obUiined 
over   Mark   Antony  and    Cleopatra,  by  Augustus. 
The  temple  was  named  Pantheon,  from  a  Greek  word, 
signifying  an  assemblage  of  all  the  gods,  because  it 
contained  statues,  in  gold,  bronze,  silver  and  precious 
stones,  of  all  the  principal  Roman  divinities. 


106 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


Opposite  to  the  columns  are  six  fluted  pilasters,* 
(the  columns  are  plain,)  between  which  the  walls  of 
the  portico  are  covered  with  beautifully  sculptured 
marbles  ;  formerly  the  statues  of  Agrippa  and  Augustus 
were  placed  in  the  niches  on  the  right  and  left  of  the 
grand  entrance.  The  threshold  is  of  African  marble  ; 
the  splendid  door  is  covered  with  bronze ;  the  door- 
posts and  architrave  are  of  white  marble. 

In  the  interior  of  the  Pantheon,  the  six  chapels  are 
decorated  each  with  two  Corinthian  columns,  and  two 
pilasters,  twenty-seven  feet  high,  supporting  an  entabla- 
ture which  runs  around  the  whole  interior  of  the  tem- 
ple. These  columns  are  eight  of  violet  marble,  mixed 
with  yellow,  and  four  of  antique  yellow  marble ;  the 
bases  and  capitals  of  white  marble ;  the  frieze  is  of 
porphyry. 

Over  this  order  is  an  attic,  a  kind  of  half  order,  that 
the  Romans  often  added  to  their  buildings.  In  this 
attic  are  fourteen  small  windows,  which  are  now  closed ; 
upon  the  entablature  to  this  attic  rests  the  great  dome. 

A  very  nice  critic  has  said  of  the  Pantheon  :  "  Per- 
haps the  interior  elevation  is  beautiful,  when  it  should 
be  grand  ;  its  Corinthian,  though  exquisite,  appears  too 
low  for  the  walls,  and  made  the  attic  here  a  necessary 
evil.  Had  Adrian  caught  the  full  majesty  of  the  naked 
dome,  and  embellished  its  walls  with  one  grand  order, 

*  Pilasters  are  rectangular  projections  advancing  from  the  wall, 
with  capitals  and  bases  of  the  same  order  as  the  columns  to  which 
they  stand  opposite. 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


107 


that  rose  to  the  origin  of  the  vault,  the  whole  temple 
would  have  been  *  more  simply,  more  severely  great.'  " 
So  thought  not  one  who  viewed  it  with  a  poet's, 
rather  than  "  a  critic's  eye." 

"  Simple,  erect,  severe,  austere,  sublime  ; 
Shrine  of  all  saints,  and  temple  of  all  gods. 

 Glorious  dome ! 

Shalt  thou  not  last  ?  Time's  scythe  and  tyrant's  rod 

Shiver  upon  thee — sanctuary  and  home 

or  art  and  piety,  Pantheon  !  pride  of  Rome  ! 

*'  Relic  of  nobler  days  and  nobler  arts ; 
Despoiled,  yet  perfect,  with  thy  circle  spreads 
A  holiness  appealing  to  all  hearts ; 
To  art  a  model,  and  to  him  who  treads 
Rome  for  the  sake  of  ages,  glory  sheds 
Her  light  through  thy  sole  ajKjrture.'* 

The  aforesaid  critic  pronounces  the  portico,  more 
than  faultless.  It  is  positioely  the  most  sublime  result 
that  ever  was  produced,  by  so  little  architecture. 
Every  moulding  here  becomes  a  model  for  the  art." 

The  Pantheon  has  been  thus  particularly  described, 
because,  in  many  respects,  it  has  served  for  ages  as  a 
model. 

The  temples  of  Vesta,  at  Rome  and  at  Tivoli,  were 
circular,  and  of  the  Corinthian  order.  This  order  pre- 
vailed over  every  other  fur  centuries,  throughout  the 
Roman  dominions.     It  was  injured  by  a  luxuriance 


108 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


and  superfluity  of  ornament,  which,  however,  accorded 
well  with  "  the  high  and  palmy  state  of  Rome." 

The  largest  temple  at  Rome,  the  Temple  of  Peace, 
was  begun  by  Claudius,  and  completed  by  Vespasian. 
It  was  oblong  ;  the  ceiling,  or  roof  of  the  nave  was  an 
immense  groined  vault,  which  rested  upon  eight 
Corinthian  columns.  The  aisles  had  also  vaults 
lengthwise,  which  were  intersected  by  others,  that 
covered  the  recesses  or  chapels,  which  projected  out- 
ward from  their  side  walls."  Here  seems  to  have 
been  the  origin  of  the  naves  and  aisles  of  churches. 
There  were  recesses,  in  which  were  arched  windows. 
Excepting  the  entrance,  which  had  an  ornamented 
portico,  the  exterior  of  this  temple  was  quite  plain. 

The  splendid  ruins  at  Palmyra  and  Balbec  are  of 
extraordinary  extent,  and  furnish  many  examples  of 
the  highly  ornamented  Corinthian.  The  Temple  of 
the  Sun,  at  Palmyra,  with  its  magnificent  porticos  and 
long  colonnades,  has  excited  the  admiration  and  wonder 
of  travellers,  who  describe  it  as  superior  to  any  other 
Roman  temple. 

The  theatre,  amphitheatre,  and  circus,  were  among 
the  most  stupendous  works  of  Rome.  Of  these,  there 
are  gigantic  remains ;  but  as  they  were  all  constructed 
on  a  similar  plan,  a  full  description  of  one  will  suffice. 
The  only  difference  between  a  theatre  and  amphi- 
theatre was,  that  the  former  was  a  semicircular,  the 
latter  a  circular  edifice. 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


109 


The  Flavian  Amphitheatre,  called  the  Coliseum, 
was  erected  by  the  Emperor  Flavius  Vespasian,  after 
his  return  from  the  Jewish  war,  a.d.  72.  Many  thou- 
sand Jews,  who  were  made  captives  in  this  war,  were 
employed  upon  the  Coliseum.  Titus  completely 
finished  it,  and  dedicated  it  to  his  father,  Vespasian. 
On  the  day  of  its  dedication,  five  thousand  animals  of 
different  species  were  cruelly  made  to  destroy  each 
other  for  the  amusement  of  the  populace !  But  not 
animals  alone  were  slaughtered  in  this  amphitheatre. 
Here  sat  the  conquerors  of  the  world,  coolly  to  enjoy 
the  tortures  and  death  of  men  who  had  never  offended 
them.  Two  aqueducts  were  scarcely  sufficient  to 
wash  off  the  human  blood  which  a  few  hours'  sport 
shed  in  these  imperial  shambles.  Twice  in  one 
day  came  the  senators  and  matrons  of  Rome  to  the 
butchery ;  a  virgin  always  gave  the  signal  for 
slaughter,  and,  when  glutted  with  bloodshed,  those 
ladies  sat  down  in  the  wet  and  streaming  arena  to  a 
luxurious  supper.  Such  reflections  check  our  regret 
for  its  ruin.  As  it  now  stands,  the  Coliseum  is  a 
striking  image  of  Rome  itself ;  decayed,  vacant, 
serious,  yet  grand  : — half  gray  and  half  green — erect 
on  one  side  and  fallen  on  the  other,  with  consecrated 
ground  in  its  bosom. 

"  A  ruin — yet  whnt  ruin  !  from  its  mass 
Walls,  palaces,  half  cities  have  been  reared  ; 
Yet  oft  the  enormous  skeleton  ye  pass, 
And  marvel  where  the  spoil  could  have  appeared." 


110 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE, 


The  shape  necessary  to  an  amphitheatre,  has  pre- 
served it  from  destruction.  Such  was  its  stabiUty  that 
it  resisted  earthquakes  and  sieges.  Barbarian  hands 
commenced  the  work  of  dilapidation,  and  Popes,  in 
their  turn,  used  it  as  a  quarry  for  modern  churches. 
This  colossal  structure  was  oval  in  form,  its  length 
being  five  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  and  its  breadth 
four  hundred  and  seventy.  It  was  externally  sur- 
rounded by  three  rows  of  arches,  raised  one  above  an- 
other to  the  height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  feet ; 
each  row  was  composed  of  eighty  arches,  with  as  many 
columns.  The  order  of  the  lower  part  of  the  Coli- 
seum is  Doric ;  the  next  order  is  Ionic ;  the  next,  Co- 
rinthian ;  above  this  is  a  row  of  Composite  pilasters, 
and  the  whole  is  crowned  with  a  heavy  attic. 

The  first  row  of  arches  is  marked  with  Roman 
numbers ;  these  arches  were  so  many  entrances  which, 
by  means  of  twenty  staircases,  led  to  the  upper  piazzas 
and  to  the  seats ;  so  that  even  a  child  could  find  his 
way  directly  to  his  seat,  and  the  numerous  spectators 
could  quit  the  amphitheatre  in  a  very  short  time,  with- 
out confusion. 

The  arena,  where  the  games  were  celebrated,  is  two 
hundred  and  eighty-five  feet  long,  and  one  hundred 
and  eighty-two  wide ;  it  was  surrounded  by  a  wall  of 
moderate  height,  to  prevent  the  animals  from  escaping. 
The  seats  for  spectators  were  arranged  around  the 
arena.  Those  destined  for  the  emperor,  his  family, 
and  the  magnates  of  Rome,  were  the  nearest  to  the 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


Ill 


arena;  above  these,  were  the  seats  for  the  people, 
gradually  ascending,  so  that  every  spectator  could  have 
an  uninterrupted  view  of  the  whole  amphitheatre. 
Thus,  eighty  thousand  spectators  could  be  accommo- 
dated; and  twenty  thousand  more  could  sit  in  the 
piazzas  above. 

There  was  no  roof  to  this  stupendous  structure. 
The  spectators  were  protected  from  the  sun  and  rain 
by  an  awning,  which  was  drawn  over  as  occasion  re- 
quired. 

During  the  reigns  of  Nero,  Trajan,  and  other  per- 
secuting emperors,  numbers  of  Christian  martyrs  bore 
testimony  to  the  truth,  by  yielding  up  their  lives  in 
this  amphitheatre : 

"  Butchered  to  make  a  Roman  holiday." 

Remains  of  amphitheatres,  theatres,  and  circuses, 
are  found  wherever  there  were  large  Roman  cities. 

Triumphal  arches  are  numerous  at  Rome.  These 
were  solid  structures  erected  to  commemorate  victories, 
and  were  lofty  enough  for  the  passage  of  giants. 

The  Arch  of  Titus  (Plate  VIII.)  was  erected  after  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  army  under  his  com- 
mand ;  it  is  ornamented  with  sculptures  in  bas-relief 
representing  the  triumphal  procession  on  the  return  of 
the  conqueror.  The  Jews  are  bearing  the  consecrated 
vessels  and  emblems  of  their  worship — the  ark,  the  table 
of  shew-bread,  the  seven-branched  candlestick,  &c.,  &c. 


112 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


A  scientific  author  says  of  the  Arch  of  Titus,  It  is  so 
rich  that  I  can  hardly  think  it  elegant.  The  entabla- 
ture, the  imposts,  the  keystones,  are  all  crowned  with 
sculpture,  yet  meagre  in  profile ;  but  it  is  hard  to  judge 
the  general  effect  of  a  mutilated  thing." 

In  the  Arch  of  Septimius  Severus,  the  Composite 
starts  so  often  and  so  furiously  out,  and  the  entablature 
meets  you  in  so  many  points,  as  to  leave  no  repose  to 
the  eye. 

Constantino's  Arch  is  larger,  nobler,  and  even  more 
correct  in  its  architecture,  the  only  object  now  in  re- 
view; but  is  that  architecture  its  own?  We  know 
that  its  columns,  statues,  and  relievos  are  not ;  and  we 
may  fairly  suspect  that  its  whole  composition  was 
stolen,  as  Constantino's  reign  was  notorious  for  archi- 
tectural robbery.  The  Arch  of  Gallienus  is  a  mere 
gateway,  and  that  of  Drusus  seems  part  of  an  aque- 
duct ;  yet,  coarse  as  they  are,  each  has  its  Corinthian 
columns  and  pediments  stuck  upon  a  fraction  of  the 
fronts. 

"  What  business  or  what  meaning  have  columns  on 
any  arch?  The  statues  of  captive  kings  are  but  a 
poor  apology  for  so  idle  a  support.  The  platform 
above  the  arch  was  well  adapted  to  the  curule  statue. 
Here  the  triumphal  car  formed  an  historical  record ;  on 
a  modern  arch  it  is  only  a  metaphor." 

The  historical  columns,  are  true  to  no  order  of  Archi- 
tecture.* Trajan's  column  has  a  Doric  shaft,  a  Tuscan 


Forsyth. 


ROMAN  ARCfllTECTURE. 


113 


base  and  capital,  and  a  pedestal  with  Corinthian 
mouldings.  The  shaft  is  eleven  feet  two  inches  in 
diameter  at  the  base,  and  ten  feet  at  the  capital ;  the 
whole  height  of  the  column  including  the  statue,  is 
one  hundred  and  thirtj-two  feet.  Upon  the  summit 
formerly  stood  the  statue  of  Trajan,  in  bronze;  but  Six- 
tus  V.  displaced  the  Emperor  and  elevated  St.  Peter, 
in  bronze,  notwithstanding  the  ashes  of  Trajan  were 
buried  beneatii  the  pedestal,  and  the  whole  column 
is  covered  with  sculptures  in  bas-relief,  representing 
his  victories.  This  splendid  column  is  of  marble, 
fastened  together  with  bronze.  A  si)iral  cordon  is  re- 
presented as  entwining  it  from  the  top  to  the  bottom, 
in  twenty-three  windings,  thus  separating  the  figures 
that  ornament  it,  and  giving  continuity  to  the  subject 
or  story.  An  interior  winding  staircase,  chiselled  out 
of  the  marble,  conducts  to  the  top,  which  commands 
a  fine  view  of  Rome.  Tlie  pedestal  is  beautifully 
adorned  with  eagles,  garlands,  and  trophies. 

Tlie  column  of  Marcus  Aurelius  is  similar  to  that 
of  Trajan.  It  was  erected  by  the  Roman  Senate,  iu 
honour  of  that  Emperor,  but  he  afterwards  dedicated 
it  to  his  father-in-law,  Antoninus  Pius.  The  pedestals 
to  these  columns  are  mentioned  as  uni(pie  in  ancient 
Roman  Architecture,  though  often  employed  in  more 
modern  days.  The  same  critic,*  who  has  been  before 
quoted,  remarks,  that  The  insulated  pedestal,  which 
in  architecture  acts  as  a  stilt  to  the  shaft,  is  beautiful, 

♦  Forsyth. 

8 


114 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


because  necessary  only  under  insulated  columns  like 
these."  The  column  of  M.  Aurelius  having  been 
injured  by  lightning-,  Sixtus  V.  repaired  it,  and  placed 
upon  the  top  a  gilt-bronze  statue  of  St.  Paul. 

The  magnificent  Corinthian  column  standing  on  a 
large  pedestal  in  the  square  of  St.  Mary  Maggiore 
at  Rome,  was  the  only  entire  column  remaining  of  the 
Temple  of  Peace.  It  was  not,  therefore,  an  historical 
column,  but  as  it  now  stands,  in  an  insulated  position, 
with  a  statue  of  the  Madonna  at  the  top,  it  has  the 
appearance  of  such  a  monument. 

The  Romans  were  as  magnificent  in  their  tombs  as 
in  all  their  other  architectural  works. 

The  finest  ancient  sepulchral  monument,  and  one 
of  the  best  preserved  at  Rome,  is  that  of  Cecelia 
Metella.  It  is  of  a  circular  form,  about  ninety  feet  in 
diameter,  the  walls  being  twenty -four  feet  in  thickness  ! 
The  immense  blocks  of  travertine  of  which  it  is  con- 
structed have  sustained  the  attacks  both  of  elemental 
strife  and  Roman  war.  A  Corinthian  entablature  sur- 
rounds the  edifice,  ornamented  with  festoons  and 
heads  of  oxen.  This  decoration  has  given  it  the  name 
of  Capo  di  Bove :  (Ox's-head.) 

"  There  is  a  stern  round  tower  of  other  days, 
Firm  as  a  fortress,  with  its  fence  of  stone, 
Such  as  an  army's  baffled  strength  delays, 
Standing  with  half  its  battlements  alone, 
And  with  two  thousand  years  of  ivy  grown, 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


115 


The  garland  of  eternity,  where  wave 

The  green  leaves  over  all  by  time  o'erthrown. 

What  was  this  tower  of  strength  I    Within  its  cave 

What  treasure  lay  so  locked,  so  hid  ? — A  woman's  grave. 

— "  Thus  much  alone  we  know — Metella  died, 

The  wealthiest  Roman's  wife ;  toehold  his  love  or  pride." 

"  At  what  period  the  tomb  of  Metella  was  converted 
into  the  citadel  of  a  fort,  can  be  guessed  only  by  the 
period  at  which  the  monuments  in  the  city  were  occu- 
pied by  the  nobles.  Certain  it  is,  that  the  tomb  wa^< 
put  at  once  to  this  purpose  without  any  previous  spolia- 
tion, and  that  the  garrison  unconcernedly  dwelt  over, 
not  only  the  mausoleum,  but  the  very  ashes  of  Metella ; 
for  the  coffin  remained  in  the  interior  of  the  sepulchre 
until  the  time  of  Paul  III.,  who  removed  it  to  the  court 
of  the  Farnese  Palace.  The  Savelli  family  were  in 
possession  of  the  fortress  in  1312,  and  the  German 
army  of  Henry  VII.,  marched  from  Rome,  attacked, 
took,  and  burnt  it,  but  were  unable  to  make  themselves 
by  force,  masters  of  the  citadel,  that  is,  of  the  tomb, 
which  must  give  us  a  high  notion  of  its  strength  or 
their  weakness."* 

The  tomb  of  Caius  Cestius,  stands  near  the  ancient 
gate,  now  called  St.  Paul's  Gate.  This  magnificent 
monument  is  a  pyramid  one  hundred  and  thirteen  feet 
high,  and  eighty-nine  feet  on  each  side  at  the  base. 


Hobhousc. 


116 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


It  is  covered  with  large  slabs  of  marble  on  the  exterior, 
and  in  the  interior  the  sepulchral  chamber  is  eighteen 
feet  long,  twelve  wide,  and  thirteen  high.  The  ceiling 
and  walls  are  covered  with  stucco,  ornamented  with 
paintings.  It  must  seem  singular  that  so  little  should 
be  known  of  the  two  persons  whose  tombs  were  to  sur- 
vive those  of  so  many  illustrious  names.  Cestius  is  as 
little  famous  as  Metella,  and  his  pyramid  is  no  less 
conspicuous  than  her  tower." 

The  tomb  of  the  Plautius  family  is  in  the  form  of  a 
round  tower,  with  an  entablature  similar  to  that  of 
Cecelia  Metella's  monument.  Like  that,  it  was  used 
as  a  fortress  during  the  civil  wars  of  the    dark  ages." 

The  tomb  of  the  Scipios  was  only  discovered  in 
1780,  after  having  been  closed  up  perhaps,  for  more 
than  eighteen  centuries.  The  upper  story  is  entirely 
gone ;  the  lower  is  of  a  square  form  hollowed  into  the 
ground.  The  relics  found  in  this  tomb  of  "  the  most 
worthy  family  of  the  Roman  republic,"  have  been 
placed  in  the  Vatican  Museum. 

These  ancient  monuments  have  been  used  as  quar- 
ries, from  whence  more  modern  buildings  have  been 
erected.  Other  magnificent  edifices  have  shared  the 
same  fate,  their  beautiful  columns  and  finely  wrought 
stones,  serving  to  ornament  buildings  otherwise  mean 
and  inelegant.  The  mausoleum  of  Augustus,  was 
used  in  the  middle  ages  as  a  fortress;  then  it  was 
hollowed  out  for  a  vineyard,  and  having  at  last  become 
a  circus,  now  serves  for  a  place  of  amusement. 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


117 


The  magnificent  baths  of  Rome  shared  largely  in 
these  spoliations.  These  baths  were  called  Thermae, 
or  hot  places.  They  were  designed  for  bathing,  gym- 
nastic exercises,  various  kinds  of  amusements,  and 
even  had  temples  connected  with  them. 

The  Baths  of  Dioclesian  covered  several  acres  of 
ground.  The  general  plan  was  a  square,  with  a  cir- 
cular edifice  at  each  angle.  Two  of  these  circular 
buildings  remain ;  one  is  used  for  a  granary,  and  the 
other  for  the  church  of  St.  Bernardo.  The  interior 
of  the  square,  was  filled  with  gardens,  groves,  porticoes, 
and  an  amphitheatre.  One  very  magnificent  apart- 
ment, called  Pinacotheca,  has  been  converted  into  the 
Church  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels.  Pope  Pius  IV., 
wishing  to  consecrate  this  edifice,  employed  Michael 
Ancrelo  to  restore  and  ornament  it  for  a  Ciiristian 
church.  The  entrance  to  tliis  church  is  by  a  round 
vestibule,  formerly  one  of  the  rooms  belonging  to  the 
baths,  of  the  same  size  as  St.  Bernardo's  Church. 
Passing  from  this  vestibule,  you  enter  the  nave  of  the 
church,  which  was  the  ancient  Pinacotheca.  This  is 
a  beautiful  classical  remnant  of  Roman  Architecture. 
Eight  granite  columns,  each  of  a  single  piece,  support 
the  roof  They  are  sixteen  feet  in  circumference,  and 
forty-three  high. 

The  Baths  of  Caracalla  are  smaller  than  tiiose  of 
Dioclesian,  yet  they  could  accommodate  three  thou- 
sand people.  The  architecture  and  the  ornaments 
were   botli  beautiful.     The  Hall   called  the  Cella 


118 


ROxMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


Solearis,  one  hundred  and  eighty-eight  feet  long  and 
one  hundred  and  thirty-fonr  wide,  has  been  much 
admired  for  its  fine  proportions  and  rich  ornaments, 
and  may  give  some  idea  of  the  general  magnificence  of 
these  baths.  The  halls  were  filled  with  statues,  the 
pavements  were  of  the  finest  mosaic,  and  the  porticoes 
were  supported  by  columns  of  the  richest  marbles. 

"  The  Baths  of  Titus  were  the  first  gallery  of  ancient 
painting  that  was  restored  to  the  world."  These  sub- 
terranean saloons,  which  were  the  lower  story  of  the 
baths,  are  very  numerous.  They  were  opened  in  the 
time  of  Raphael  d'Urbino,  who  studied  the  arabesque 
paintings  upon  the  walls  and  imitated  them  in  the 
Vatican.  "  Some  of  the  ruins  above  ground  rise 
up  to  the  vaulting  of  their  alcoves ;  but  none  show 
their  specific  relation  to  a  bath,  except  the  Sette 
Salle,  the  construction  of  which  proves  that  it  was 
a  reservoir,  and  proves  too,  how  well  the  ancients 
understood  hydrostatics.  The  stucco  with  which  it 
is  covered  is  hard  enough  for  the  turning  of  iron, 
which  could  only  arise  from  the  tartareous  penetration 
of  water." 

"To  combine  the  scattered  remains  of  those  baths,  to 
distribute  their  interior,  to  give  light  to  every  apart- 
ment, and  find  out  offices  for  them  all,  would  puzzle 
any  regular  surveyor ;  but  what  can  daunt  antiqua- 
ries ?"  Their  assiduous  labours  have  brought  to  light 
what  had  remained  for  ages  in  obscurity,  and  proved 


R  0  M  A  N  A  R  C  H 1  T  E  C  T  U  R  E. 


119 


beyond  a  doubt  the  extent,  variety,  and  magnificence 
of  the  buildincjs  which  constituted  the  Roman  Thermfe. 

The  old  Roman  Basilica  seems  at  first  to  have  been 
a  part  of  a  palace,  but  afterwards  included  those  build- 
ino^s  devoted  to  law^  and  trade.  Accordinjr  to  Vitru- 
vius,  a  basilica  had  double  porticoes,  open  on  the  four 
sides,  an  upper  gallery,  and  an  immense  hall  with 
vaulted  ceiling.  After  the  Christian  religion  was 
established,  the  basilica3  were  converted  into  churches, 
and  gave  their  form  and  name  to  those  which  were 
afterwards  erected,  as  will  be  more  specially  mentioned 
hereafter. 

The  assemblies  of  the  Roman  people  were  held  in 
the  Forum,  and  public  business  was  there  transacted. 

Of  these,  the  most  celebrated  was  the  Forum  Ro- 
inanum,  which  has  served  in  modern  days  as  a  coiv- 
market,  and  from  that  circumstance  is  called  Campo 
Vaccino.  It  was  an  oblong  s([uare,  the  e.xact  dimen- 
sions of  which  cannot  be  ascertained.  It  is  supposed 
to  have  extended  from  the  Arch  of  Septimius  Severus 
to  the  Temple  of  Antoninus  and  Faustina,  and  from 
thence  in  length  to  the  Temple  of  Romulus. 

The  Capitol,  which  stood  upon  the  Capitoline  Hill, 
was  raised  above  this  Forum,  and  at  its  foot  are  sup- 
posed to  have  stood  the  Temples  of  Jupiter  Tonans 
and  of  Concord ;  the  latter  is  sui)posed  formerly  to 
have  been  called  the  Temple  of  Cicero.  Nothing  now 
remains  but  its  portico,  consisting  of  eight  magnificent 


120 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


columns  of  oriental  granite,  of  the  Ionic  order,  twelve 
feet  in  circnmference  and  forty  in  height. 

"  The  barbarians,  the  fires,  and  the  modern  Romans 
have  left  but  little  of  the  temple  where  Cicero  assem- 
bled the  Senate,  supposing  these  to  be  the  ruins  of  that 
temple  ;  but  it  is  something  to  hope  that  we  tread  the 
site,  and  may  touch  a  fragment  of  the  porch  which  was 
guarded  by  the  equestrian  patriots,  who  escorted  the 
consul,  and  menaced  Caesar  and  the  friends  of  the 
conspirators  with  swords." 

Of  the  Trajan  Forum,  of  which  the  celebrated 
Apollodorus  was  the  architect,  nothing  now  remains 
entire  but  the  superb  pillar  which  has  been  described. 
"  The  Forum  of  Trajan  served,  among  other  purposes, 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  good  and  great. 
Young  men  of  great  promise,  who  had  died  in  the  flower 
of  their  age,  were  honoured  with  a  statue.  The  same 
place  was  devoted  to  the  labours  and  the  rewards  of 
literary  heroes  ;  here  the  poets  and  others  recited  their 
compositions,  and  here  their  images  were  allowed  a 
place  amongst  conquerors  and  monarchs.". 

The  Forum  of  Trajan  is  mentioned  by  ancient  his- 
torians as  the  wonder  and  glory  of  Roman  Architec- 
ture ;  a  perfect  "  miracle"  in  its  gigantic  splendour. 
Late  excavations  in  this  Forum,  enable  us  at  last  to 
tread  the  floor  of  ancient  Rome.  The  replacing  the 
fragments  of  the  columns  on  their  bases,  and  the  judi- 
cious arrangements  of  the  other  marbles,  has  created 
an  effect  little  inferior  to  the  wonders  of  Pompeii. 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE.- 


121 


The  admiring  traveller  is  amazed  at  the  dimensions 
of  the  fragments,  when  compared  with  the  space  in 
which  so  many  buildings  were  raised.  Here  we 
have  a  Forum  with  its  porticoes,  and  statues,  and 
tribunals ;  a  basilica,  with  a  double  internal  portico 
on  every  side;  a  quadrangular  court,  or  atrium,  also 
adorned  with  enormous  columns ;  two  libraries ;  a 
triumphal  arch  ;  the  great  column  and  the  portion 
of  a  temple,  crowded  into  a  space  not  so  considera- 
ble as  one  of  the  smallest  London  squares.  What- 
ever the  earth  covered  of  these  magnificent  structures 
is  now  exposed  to  view,  and  the  remnants  are  suffi- 
cient to  show  what  must  have  been  the  subterranean 
riches  of  Rome.  The  flooring  and  some  of  the  many 
fragments  are  so  perfect  as  to  make  the  sudden  bwial 
of  these  parts  of  the  city  more  probable  than  the  gra- 
dual decay." 

Pompeii  has  revealed  to  us  the  dtvelling-houses  of 
the  Romans.  A  traveller  says,  that  there  *'  You  forget 
yourself,  and  the  age  you  live  in.  Where  am  I  ?  It 
is  Pompeii — the  old  city  which  has  been  dug  out  of  its 
grave — and  the  inhabitants !  I  stand,  I  move,  among 
the  men  of  old  times." 

"  The  mode  in  which  the  largest  dwellings  are  built, 
was,  on  many  accounts,  the  best  fitted  for  the  climate 
and  situation.  All,  except  a  very  few,  are  of  one  story, 
probably  to  guard  against  the  effects  of  earthcjuakes ; 
and  the  rooms  are  very  small.  According  to  their 
size,  houses  and  villas  contain  one  or  more  square 


122 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


courts  (Plate  IX.),  open  above,  and  surrounded  with 
piazzas,  which  partially  protect  from  the  weather  the 
entrances  to  the  sleeping  rooms,  usually  ranged  around 
them  by  fours.  Other  apartments  of  the  house  are  situ- 
ated according  to  the  taste  of  the  builder." — "  The  roof 
is  gone,  nothing  is  seen  above  but  the  sky ;  this  house 
has  been  untenanted  for  ages ;  its  last  inhabitant  was 
a  Roman  citizen,  and  he  lived  under  the  reign  of 
Titus;  a  man  who  heard  of  the  desolation  of  Judah 
from  captives  taken  fighting  on  the  walls  of  Jerusalem; 
and  the  first  glad  news  of  Christianity,  perchance,  from 
the  mouth  of  Paul  himself  Departed  Pompeii  ! 
Here  time  has  left  his  glass  unturned,  for  seventeen 
hundred  years." 

The  palaces  of  modern  princes  would  suffer  by  a 
comparison  with  the  villas  of  Roman  citizens. 

Pliny,  the  consul,  has  left  a  minute  description  of 
his  winter  residence  at  Laurentium,  fourteen  miles 
from  Rome.  It  is  probably  a  fair  specimen  of  the 
villas  of  Roman  noblemen,  but  by  no  means  equal  in 
magnificence  to  many  of  them. 

^'  My  villa,"  says  Pliny,  "  is  large  enough  to  aflford  all 
desirable  accommodation,  without  being  extensive. 
The  porch  before  it  is  plain,  but  not  mean,  through 
which  you  enter  a  portico  in  the  form  of  the  letter  D, 
which  includes  a  small,  but  agreeable  area.  This  affords 
a  very  commodious  retreat  in  bad  weather,  not  only 
as  it  is  enclosed  with  windows,  but  particularly  as  it 
is  sheltered  by  an  extraordinary  projection  of  roof. 


t 


Plate  IX. 


PORTICO  AT  LORSCH 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


123 


From  the  middle  of  this  portico  you  pass  into  an  in- 
ward court,  extremely  pleasant,  and  from  thence  into  a 
handsome  hafil,  which  runs  out  towards  the  sea,  so 
that  when  there  is  a  southwest  wind,  it  is  gently 
washed  with  the  waves,  which  spend  themselves  at 
the  foot  of  it.  On  every  side  of  this  hall,  there  are 
either  folding  doors,  or  windows  equally  large,  by 
which  means  you  have  a  view  of  the  front  and  two 
sides,  as  it  were,  of  tliree  different  seas  :  from  the  back 
part  you  see  the  middle  of  the  court,  the  portico, 
and  the  area,  and  by  another  view  you  look  through 
the  portico,  from  whence  the  prospect  is  terminated 
by  woods  and  mountains,  which  are  seen  at  a  dis- 
tance. On  the  left  hand  side  of  this  hall,  some- 
what farther  from  the  sea,  lies  a  larjre  drawins:- 

'  DO 

room,  and  beyond  that,  a  second  of  smaller  size, 
which  has  one  window  to  the  rising,  and  another  to 
the  setting  sun.  The  angle  which  the  projection 
forms  with  this  drawing-room,  retains  and  increases 
the  warmth  of  the  sun ;  and  hithef  my  family  retreat 
in  winter  to  perform  their  exerci.ses.  It  is  sheltered 
from  all  winds,  except  those  which  are  generally  at- 
tended with  clouds,  so  that  nothing  can  render  this 
place  useless,  but  what  at  the  same  time  destroys  fair 
weather.  Contiguous  to  this,  is  a  room,  forming  the 
segment  of  a  circle,  the  windows  of  which  are  so 
placed  as  to  receive  the  sun  the  whole  day ;  in  the 
walls  are  a  set  of  cases,  which  contain  a  collec- 
tion of  authors,  whose  works  can  never  be  read  too 
often.    From  thence,  you  pass  into  a  bed-chamber. 


124  ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

The  remainder  of  this  side  of  the  house  is  appropriated 
to  my  slaves  and  freedmen ;  but  most  of  the  apartments, 
however,  are  neat  enough  to  receive  any  of  my  friends. 
In  the  opposite  wing  is  a  room  ornamented  in  a  very 
elegant  taste ;  next  to  which  lies  another  room,  which 
though  large  for  a  parlour,  makes  but  a  moderate  dining- 
room.  Beyond  is  a  bed-chamber,  together  with  its 
antechamber.  To  this  apartment  another  of  the  same 
sort  is  joined  by  a  common  wall.  From  thence  you 
enter  into  the  grand  and  spacious  cooling-room  be- 
longing to  the  bath ;  from  the  opposite  walls  of  which 
two  large  basins  project,  large  enough  to  swim  in. 
Contiguous  to  this  is  the  perfuming-room,  then  the 
sweating-room,  and  next  to  that  the  furnace,  which 
conveys  the  heat  to  the  baths.  Adjoining,  are  the  two 
little  bathing- rooms,  fitted  up  in  an  elegant  rather  than 
a  costly  manner.  Annexed  to  this  is  a  warm  bath  of 
extraordinary  workmanship,  wherein  one  may  swim 
and  have  a  prospect  at  the  same  time  of  the  sea, 
together  with  the  beautiful  villas  that  stand  inter- 
spersed upon  the  coast.  At  the  other  end  is  a  second 
turret,  in  which  is  a  room  that  receives  the  rising  and 
setting  sun.  Behind  this  is  a  large  repository,  near 
to  which  is  a  gallery  of  curiosities,  and  underneath  is 
a  spacious  dining-room.  In  the  garden  is  a  banquet- 
ing-room  ;  two  apartments  run  round  the  back  part  of 
it,  the  windows  whereof  look  upon  the  entrance  of  the 
villa.  From  hence  an  inclosed  portico  extends,  which, 
by  its  great  length,  you  might  suppose  erected  for  the 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


125 


use  of  the  public.  Before  this  portico  lies  a  terrace, 
perfumed  with  violets,  and  warmed  by  the  reflection 
of  the  sun  from  the  portico.  On  the  upper  end  of  the 
terrace  and  portico  stands  a  detached  building  in  the 
garden,  which  I  call  my  favourite ;  and  indeed  it  is 
particularly  so,  having  erected  it  myself  It  contains 
a  very  warm  winter  room,  one  side  of  which  looks 
upon  the  terrace,  the  other  has  a  view  of  the  sea. 
Through  the  folding-doors  you  see  the  opposite  cham- 
ber, and  from  the  windows  is  a  prospect  of  the  enclosed 
portico.  On  that  side  next  the  sea,  and  opposite  to  the 
middle  wall,  stands  a  little  elegant  recess,  wliich,  by 
means  of  the  glass  doors  and  a  curtain,  is  either  laid 
open  to  the  adjoining  room,  or  separated  from  it. 
Adjoining  to  this  is  a  bed-chamber,  which  neither 
the  voice  of  the  servants,  the  murmuring  of  the  sea, 
nor  even  the  roaring  of  a  tempest  can  reach.  This 
profound  tran([uiUity  is  occasioned  by  a  passage  which 
separates  the  wall  of  the  chamber  from  that  of  the  gar- 
den ;  and  thus,  by  that  intervening  space,  every  noise 
is  precluded.  Annexed  to  this  is  a  small  stove-room, 
which,  by  opening  a  little  window,  warms  the  bed- 
chamber to  the  degree  of  heat  required.  Beyond  this 
lies  a  chamber  and  antechamber.  When  I  retire  to 
this  apartment,  I  fancy  myself  a  hundred  miles  from 
my  own  house  ;  when  my  villa  resounds  with  the 
mirth  of  my  domestics,  here  I  neither  interrupt  their 
diversions,  nor  they  my  studies." 

If  such  was  the  villa  of  a  subject,  what  might  we 


126 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


not  imagine  the  magnificence  of  an  imperial  villa 
The  villa  of  the  Emperor  Adrian  is  said  by  some 
authors  to  have  covered  a  space  ten  miles  in  circum- 
ference, by  others  seven  miles.  After  having  travelled 
through  the  Roman  Empire,  and  seen  the  architectural 
wonders  of  Egypt,  Greece,  and  Asia,  Adrian  wished 
to  concentrate  in  his  own  villa  everything  that  was 
most  splendid  in  the  fine  arts.  He  was  himself  an 
architect,  and  it  is  said,  that  he  was  so  conceited  and 
vain,  that  the  great  Apollodorus  fell  a  victim  to  his 
vengeance,  the  latter  having  criticised  with  some 
severity  the  Emperor's  plan  of  the  Temple  of  Rome 
and  Virtue.  In  his  own  villa,  Adrian  showed  a  want 
of  correct  taste,  by  introducing  every  order  and  style 
then  known.  After  the  spoliations  of  the  Goths,  and  the 
more  slow  but  sure  ravages  of  time,  Adrian's  villa  has 
furnished  to  the  museum  and  galleries  of  modern 
Rome  an  extraordinary  number  of  statues  and  other 
relics,  which  fully  attest  its  surpassing  magnificence. 

"  This  superb  villa  contained  three  theatres,  one  of 
which  is  better  preserved  than  any  other  ancient 
theatre,  for  there  are  still  seen  some  vestiges  of  the 
seats,  of  the  scenery,  the  orchestra,  and  the  actors' 
rooms ;  a  riding-school ;  the  Temple  of  the  Stoics 
with  seven  niches  for  statues ;  a  maritime  theatre,  (or 
naumachia,)  surrounded  by  piazzas ;  a  library,  of  which 
some  rooms  with  paintings  on  the  ceilings  are  still  seen  ; 
the  Temple  of  Diana  and  Venus ;  the  imperial  palace, 
two  stories  high ;  the  Temple  of  Apollo,  where  are  the 


ROMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


127 


niches  for  the  nine  Muses ;  the  quarters  of  the  Preto- 
rian  Guards ;  the  baths  for  the  men  and  for  the 
women,  of  which  four  saloons  are  remaining;  the 
temple  made  to  imitate  that  of  Serapis  in  Egypt ; 
the  Elysian  Fields ;  and  several  other  edifices,  of  which 
scarcely  any  other  traces  remain." 

It  was  not  alone  in  the  imperial  city  and  its  vicinity 
that  an  architectural  mania  prevailed,  it  extended 
throughout  the  whole  empire.  The  wall  in  Britain 
from  Carlisle  to  Newcastle  was  only  one  among  the 
many  monuments  that  the  Romans  left  in  that  island. 

Palmyra  and  Balbec  spread  their  sublime  ruins  over 
deserted  plains,  solemn  mementos  of  the  wreck  of  the 
mightiest  of  earth's  kingdoms.  They  are  in  the  most 
elaborate  Romanized  Corinthian  order. 

Roman  Architecture,  which  was  never  so  classically 
pure  as  the  Grecian,  in  time  degenerated  into  barba- 
rous magnificence,  overloaded  with  ornaments.  The 
extent  and  splendour  of  Nero's  Golden  House,  seem 
rather  to  belong  to  one  of  the  palaces  raised  by  Alad- 
din's Lamp  than  to  anything  real.  After  the  people 
became  vitiated  by  luxury,  and  lost  their  Roman 
dignity,  and  their  emperors  were  the  most  monstrous 
examples  of  vice,  every  work  that  they  undertook 
showed  a  want  of  taste  and  order,  a  departure  from  all 
simplicity  and  true  l)eauty.  Splendid  and  gigantic, 
but  wanting  in  the  beautiful  and  true  proportions  of 
the  Grecian  Temples,  those  works  can  never  be  safe 
models  for  imitation. 


CHAPTER  XL 

ARCHITECTURE    OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 
ARABIAN  ARCHITECTURE, 

KNOWN  UNDER  THE  NAMES  OF  SARACENIC,  MOORISH,  AND  BYZANTINE. 

Whatever  knowledge  of  the  arts  the  Arabians  ac- 
quired in  the  ages  subsequent  to  Mahomet,  they  owed 
to  the  people  whom  they  subdued,  from  the  Indus  to 
the  Nile,  and  to  their  commercial  relations  with  sur- 
rounding nations. 

The  first  Mosque,  which  is  known  to  have  been 
erected  out  of  the  precincts  of  Arabia,  was  founded  by 
Omar,  immediately  after  the  surrender  of  Jerusalem, 
on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Temple.  This  mosque  was 
enlarged  and  embellished  by  succeeding  caliphs  until 
it  was  reckoned  by  the  Arabians  second  only  to  the 
magnificent  Mezquito  of  Cordova. 

The  ancient  Arabians  were  a  simple,  frugal  people, 
but  as  their  conquests  over  more  luxurious  nations 
extended,  their  princes  assumed  the  magnificence  of 
Asiatic  monarch s.  As  they  acquired  a  greater  relish 
for  the  arts,  sumptuous  edifices  adorned  their  cities. 


Plate  X 


ARABIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


129 


The  great  mosque  founded  by  Alwalid  I.,  at  Damas- 
cus, is  particularly  celebrated ;  on  this  edifice  first 
appeared  the  lofty  minaret.  This  appendage  was  an 
innovation  in  the  style,  of  which  it  has  since  become 
characteristic.  Nothing  can  be  more  light  and  grace- 
ful than  the  general  effect  of  minarets  (Plate  X.) ;  the 
'pointed  arches  with  which  these  towers  are  decorated 
give  great  importance  to  this  edifice  in  the  eyes  of 
architects,  as  they  so  nearly  resemble  those  afterward 
employed  in  the  Gothic,  or  pointed  architecture  of 
Europe. 

When  the  seat  of  empire  was  removed  from  Damas- 
cus to  Bagdad,  neither  labour  nor  expense  was  spared 
that  the  new  capital  might  eclipse  the  splendour  of 
the  former.  The  gorgeous  magnificence  of  Bagdad 
would  seem  only  one  of  the  inventions  of  the  author 
of  the  Arabian  Night's  Entertainment,  were  it  not 
authenticated  by  contemporary  and  ocular  testimony. 

Cairo  arose  to  rival  Bagdad,  and  its  moscjue  is  sur- 
passingly rich  and  beautiful.  In  arts  and  sciences  the 
Arabs  of  the  West  were  not  inferior  to  those  of  the 
East;  the  buildings  erected  by  the  Ommiad  caliphs  of 
Spain,  are  some  of  them  equal  to  anything  remaining 
of  the  most  splendid  cities  of  antiquity.  Among  these, 
the  mosque  at  Cordova  and  the  Alhambra  or  Alhamra 
in  Spain  are  the  most  celebrated. 

The  Alhambra  is  a  fortress  and  palace  built  by  the 
Moorish  Kings  of  Granada.  The  following  description 

9 


130 


ARABIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


is  extracted  from  "  The  Alhambra,"  by  Washington 
Irving. 

''Ascending  a  steep  and  shady  avenue,  we  arrived 
at  the  foot  of  a  huge,  square,  Moorish  tower,  forming  a 
kind  of  barbacan,  through  which  passed  the  main  en- 
trance to  the  fortress.  This  portal  is  called  the  Gate 
of  Justice ;  the  vestibule  or  porch  is  formed  by  an  im- 
mense Arabian  arch  of  the  horseshoe  form,  which 
springs  to  half  the  height  of  the  tower.  On  the  key- 
stone of  this  arch  is  engraven  a  gigantic  hand,  (a  sym- 
bol of  the  omnipotent  hand  of  God.)  Within  the 
vestibule  on  the  keystone  of  the  portal  is  engraven  in 
like  manner,  a  gigantic  key,  (a  favourite  symbol  of  the 
followers  of  Mahomet.)  After  passing  through  the 
barbacan,  we  ascended  a  narrow  lane,  winding  between 
walls,  and  came  on  an  open  esplanade  within  the 
fortress.  In  front  of  this  esplanade  is  the  splendid  pile 
commenced  by  Charles  V.,  intended,  it  is  said,  to 
eclipse  the  residence  of  the  Moslem  kings.  With  all 
its  grandeur  and  architectural  merit,  it  appeared  to  us 
like  an  arrogant  intrusion,  and  passing  by  it  we  entered 
a  simple  unostentatious  portal,  opening  into  the  interior 
of  the  Moorish  palace. 

''  The  transition  was  almost  magical ;  it  seemed  as  if 
we  were  at  once  transported  into  other  times  and  an- 
other realm,  and  were  treading  the  scenes  of  Arabian 
story.  We  found  ourselves  in  a  great  court  paved  with 
white  marble,  and  decorated  at  each  end  with  light 
Moorish  peristyles.    In  the  centre  was  an  immense 


ARABIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


131 


basin  a  hundred  and  thirty  feet  in  length  and  thirty 
in  breadth  stocked  with  gold-fish,  and  bordered  by 
hedges  of  roses.  At  the  upper  end  of  this  court  rose 
the  great  Tower  of  Comares.  From  the  lower  end  we 
passed  through  a  Moorish  archway  into  the  renowned 
Court  of  Lions.  There  is  no  part  of  the  edifice  that 
gives  us  a  more  complete  idea  of  its  original  beauty 
and  magnificence  than  this ;  for  none  have  suffered  so 
little  from  the  ravages  of  time.  In  the  centre  stands 
the  fountain  famous  in  song  and  story.  The  alabaster 
basins  still  shed  their  diamond  drops,  and  the  twelve 
lions  that  support  them,  cast  forth  their  streams  as  in 
the  days  of  Boabdil.  The  court  is  laid  out  in  flower- 
beds, and  surrounded  by  light  Arabian  arcades  of 
open  fihgree-work,  supported  by  slender  pillars  of 
white  marble.  The  architecture,  like  that  of  all  the 
other  parts  of  the  palace,  is  characterized  by  elegance, 
rather  than  grandeur,  bespeaking  a  delicate  and  grace- 
ful taste.  When  we  look  upon  the  fairy  tracery  of  the 
peristyles,  and  the  apparently  fragile  fretwork  of  the 
walls,  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  so  much  has  sur- 
vived the  wear  and  tear  of  centuries,  the  shocks  of 
earthquakes,  the  violence  of  war,  and  the  (juiet,  though 
no  less  baneful,  pilferings  of  the  tasteful  traveller.  On 
one  side  of  the  court  a  portal,  richly  adorned,  opens  into 
a  lofty  hall  paved  with  wliite  marble,  and  called  the 
Hall  of  the  Two  Sisters.  The  latticed  balconies  still 
remain,  from  whence  the  dark-eyed  beauties  of  the 
harem  might  gaze  unseen  upon  the  entertainments  of 


132 


ARABIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


the  hall  below.  It  is  impossible  to  contemplate  this 
once  favourite  abode  of  Oriental  manners,  without 
feeling  the  early  associations  of  Arabian  romance,  and 
almost  expecting  to  see  the  white  arm  of  some  myste- 
rious princess  beckoning  from  the  balcony,  or  some 
dark  eye  sparkling  from  the  lattice. 

A  Moorish  archway  admitted  us  into  a  vast  and 
lofty  hall,  which  occupies  the  interior  of  the  Tower  of 
Comares,  and  was  the  grand  audience-chamber  of  the 
Moslem  monarchs,  thence  called  the  Hall  of  the  Am- 
bassadors. It  still  bears  the  traces  of  past  magnificence. 
The  walls  are  richly  stuccoed  and  decorated  with  ara- 
besques, the  vaulted  ceiling  of  cedar  wood,  almost  lost 
in  obscurity  from  its  height,  still  gleams  with  rich 
gilding  and  the  brilliant  tints  of  the  Arabian  pencil. 

An  abundant  supply  of  water,  brought  from  the 
mountains  by  old  Moorish  aqueducts,  circulates 
throughout  the  palace,  supplying  its  baths  and  fish- 
pools,  sparkling  in  jets  within  its  walls,  or  murmuring 
in  channels  along  the  marble  pavement.  When  it  has 
paid  its  tribute  to  the  royal  pile,  and  visited  its  gar- 
dens and  pastures,  it  flows  down  the  long  avenue  lead- 
ing to  the  city,  tinkling  in  rills,  gushing  in  fountains, 
and  maintaining  a  perpetual  verdure  in  those  groves 
that  embower  and  beautify  the  whole  hill  of  the  Al- 
hambra." 

M.  Laborde  in  his  ''Voyage  Pittoresque  de  L'Es- 
pagne,"  assigns  three  distinct  periods  to  the  rise,  pro- 
gress, and  decay  of  Moorish  Architecture:  the  first 


ARABIAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


133 


includes  the  space  from  the  commencement  of  Islamism 
to  the  ninth  century ;  the  second,  from  the  ninth  to 
the  thirteenth  century ;  and  the  third,  from  that  time, 
to  the  annihilation  of  the  Mahometan  dominion  in 
Spain.  The  Alhambra  belongs  to  the  second  period, 
and  presents  the  most  perfect  model  of  pure  Spanish 
Arabian  Architecture. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE  ROMANESQUE,  OR  CORRUPTED  ROMAN. 

The  great  characteristic  of  the  Architecture  of  the 
Romans,  was  the  combination  of  the  arch  and  vault, 
with  the  Grecian  column.  A  prevalent  form  of  their 
later  buildings  was  the  high  vaulted  hall,  long  and 
comparatively  narrow,  on  each  side  of  which  were 
cells  or  chambers,  communicating  with  the  great  hall 
and  with  each  other,  by  arched  openings  or  doorways. 
Upon  this  general  plan  are  arranged  the  great  halls 
of  the  Baths  of  Caracalla,  and  Dioclesian,  and  the 
Basilicse  or  Halls  of  Justice.  When  Christianity  was 
established  by  Constantine  throughout  the  Roman 
Empire,  these  spacious  halls  were  used  as  places  of 
worship;  many  ancient  buildings  were  repaired  and 
adapted  to  this  purpose,  and  subsequently,  when  new 
churches  were  built,  the  same  general  plan  was  fol- 
lowed. The  principal  entrance  was  at  the  west  end, 
and  the  east  end  was  of  a  circular  form ;  the  breadth 
was  divided  into  three  or  four  aisles,  and  upon  the  co- 


• 


THE  ROMANESQUE.  135 

lumns,  arches  were  erected,  to  re-  21 
ceive  an  upper  wall,  which  sup-  1 
ports  a  roof.     An  addition  was  | 

subsequently  made  of  the  tran-    |  '      '  1 

sept,  which  completed  the  ground-  Transept 
plan  of  a  Christian  church,  in  the 
form  of  the  Latin  cross. 

The  great  church  of  St.  Sophia, 

at   Constantinople,    was  erected   

under  the  Emperor  Justinian, 
about  A.  D.  637.  Here  was  a  mixture  of  the  Grecian 
and  Roman  Architecture,  with  new  inventions,  to 
which  the  unskilfulness  of  the  architects  gave  rise. 
The  dome  fell  twice  in  a  few  months  after  it  was  built, 
and  when  it  was  rebuilt,  huge  buttresses  were  con- 
structed to  sustain  the  weight.  Many  columns  which 
had  ornamented  ancient  edifices,  were  placed  in  the 
new  church  of  St.  Sophia,  and  an  immense  number  of 
arches  were  raised  in  rows,  one  above  another,  to  sup- 
port various  parts  of  the  ill-constructed  building.  As 
Christianity  spread  to  the  remotest  regions  of  the  Em- 
pire, ecclesiastical  edifices  were  everywhere  erected ; 
the  rage  for  building  churches  in  a  short  time  became 
general  and  excessive.  Rome  being  at  the  head  of  the 
Church  of  the  West,  very  naturally  prescribed  the 
mode  of  building,  as  well  as  the  form  of  worship. 

All  countries,  in  adopting  a  neighbouring  style  of 
building,  have  been  obliged  to  accommodate  it  to  some 
peculiarities  of  their  local  situation,  such  as  climate, 


136 


THE  ROMANESQUE 


soil,  and  building  materials.  Thus,  while  adopting  the 
Roman  style,  the  architecture  of  every  European 
country  was  distinguished  by  peculiar  and  character- 
istic features  of  its  own.  To  the  style  which  was 
formed  in  this  way,  and  was  an  intermediate  or  transi- 
tion state  between  the  old  Roman  and  pointed  or 
Gothic  style,  the  name  "  Romanesque"  in  English,  and 
"  Romane"  in  French,  has  been  given  by  some  writers 
of  authority,  though  it  may  not  yet  have  been  gene- 
rally adopted.  The  foregoing  remarks  will  sufficiently 
show  the  propriety  of  the  term,  but  the  style  is  also 
known  as  the  Lombard  or  Lombardic. 

One  of  its  most  characteristic  features,  is  the  com- 
pound semicircular  arch. 

THE  ROMANESQUE  IN  ENGLAND, 

COMMONLY  CALLED  THE  SAXON  AND  THE  NORMAN. 

The  Christian  religion  was  early  introduced  into 
England;  it  has  indeed  been  claimed,  on  strong  circum- 
stantial evidence,  that  the  foundation  of  the  Church 
was  there  laid  by  St.  Paul  himself.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
when  Christianity  was  first  introduced  into  that  island, 
she  came  in  the  train  of  Roman  art,  and  Roman  power, 
and  when,  her  first  footsteps  being  nearly  effaced,  she 
once  more  appeared,  it  was  again  from  Rome  that  she 
came. 

The  Saxons  landed  on  the  island  of  Great  Britain  in 
a  state  of  barbarism.    Having  subdued  the  ancient  in- 


Plate  XII. 


ANCIENT  CHURCH  OF  REOULVER. 


IN  ENGLAND. 


137 


habitants,  a  general  devastation  took  place ;  the  Roman 
structures  which  had  been  left,  when  some  time  before 
the  Romans  evacuated  the  island,  were  now  wholly 
destroyed,  and  scarcely  a  vestige  of  their  improve- 
ments was  suffered  to  remain. 

In  the  course  of  one  hundred  years  from  the  de- 
parture of  the  Romans,  when  King  Ethelbert  was 
converted  to  Christianity  by  St.  Augustine,  the  zea) 
for  erecting  ecclesiastical  edifices  commenced.  Vari- 
ous passages  from  old  English  writers  might  be  ad- 
duced, to  show  that  the  Saxons  had  only  two  kinds  of 
church  buildings :  the  Roman  style,  and  the  unadorned 
manner  in  which  they  were  built  with  timber"  by 
home-bred  artisans.  The  ecclesiastics  were  the  prin- 
cipal architects. 

The  venerable  Bede  has  left  us  on  record  his  admi- 
ration of  the  Coliseum.  He  mentions  various  buildings 
of  stone  in  England,  among  which  are  two  churches  at 
Canterbury,  in  one  of  which  Queen  Bertha  performed 
her  devotions,  and  St.  Augustine  preached.  Ina,  King 
of  the  West  Saxons,  founded  an  English  school  in 
Rome,  and  Alfred  the  Great  was  presented  at  the  early 
age  of  five  years  before  the  papal  throne.  From  these 
facts  we  learn  the  predominating  influence  that  Rome 
must  have  then  exercised  over  the  external  forms,  as 
well  as  the  internal  character  of  the  Church  of  Encj- 
land. 

One  of  the  oldest  churches  in  England  is  at  Recul- 
ver  on  the  Thames  (Plate  XII.);  its  spires  were  once 


138 


THE  ROMANESQUE 


held  in  such  reverence  that  ships,  entering  the  Thames, 
were  wont  to  lower  their  topsails  as  they  passed.  This 
old  church  now  hangs  upon  the  cliif,  which  century 
after  century  the  waves  have  been  washing  away,  "  and 
as  successive  portions  have  fallen,  the  bare  sides  have 
presented  human  bones,  and  coins,  and  fragments  of 
pottery,  and  tessellated  pavements,  which  told  that 
man  had  been  here,  with  his  comforts  and  luxuries 
around  him,  long  before  Ethelbert  was  laid  beneath 
the  floor  of  the  Saxon  church,  upon  whose  ruins  the 
sister  spires  of  the  Norman  rose,  themselves  to  be  a 
ruin,  now  preserved  only  as  a  sea-mark." 

The  Saxon  style  was  doubtless  but  a  barbarous  imi- 
tation of  the  architecture  of  Rome.  Although  many 
parts  of  Saxon  buildings  still  exist  in  churches  which 

were  afterwards  repaired  and 
remodelled  by  the  Normans, 
it  is  doubtful  whether  a  single 
church  remains  entire.  Door- 
ways (Fig.  22)  and  columns 
are  occasionally  found  in  cas- 
tles and  other  buildings,  which 
show  decisive  marks  of  Saxon 
origin.  Towers  were  erected 
over  the  west  front  of  Saxon  churches  and  over  the  cross. 
In  the  interior,  the  sides  were  occupied  by  the  arcade, 
the  gallery,  and  the  windows,  forming  three  stories. 
The  pillars  were  short,  massive,  and  round.  In  arcades, 
doors,  and  windows,  the  arches  were  all  semicircular, 


Fig.  22. 


IN  ENGLAND. 


139 


and  frequently  compound.  The  principal  door-cases 
were  decorated  with  pillars  and  sculptured  capitals. 
Round  the  arches  were 

Fig.  23. 

mouldings  of  great  va- 
riety ;  and  bas-relief  or- 
naments of  skulls,  cross- 
bones,  and  other  hideous 
designs,  were  rudely 
carved  in  confused 
groups  about  the  build- 
injTs.  Amonnr  the  Sax- 
on  mouldings  the  chev- 
ron  or  zigzag,  and  the  5t 
embattled  frette  are . 
conspicuous.  The  capi- 
tals of  pillars  were  of 
strange  and  uncouth 
patterns. 

The  west  door  of  the  church  of  Cliff,  near  Dover, 
is  undoubtedly  Saxon.  The  triangular  pediment  is 
ornamented  with  the  double-billet  moulding.  The 
keystone  of  the  outer  arch  is  a  rude  representation  of 
the  Deity  in  the  act  of  benediction,  and  on  each  side 
is  an  angel.  Tlie  head  moulding  and  the  crossed- 
circle  moulding  adorn  this  outer  semicircle.  Within 
is  a  narrow  border  of  interlacing  arches,  upon  which 
are  the  bead,  corbel  table,  embattled  frette,  and  flower 
mouldings.  The  small  square  door  was  probably 
added  at  a  later  period. 


140 


THE  ROMANESQUE 


NORMAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

When  the  Normans  conquered  England,  in  1066, 
they  were  far  more  cultivated  than  the  Saxons.  Many 
fine  cathedrals  had  before  that  period  been  erected  in 
Normandy.  The  Norman  monks,  it  is  said,  were  so 
partial  to  Architecture,  that  they  studied  both  the 
theory  and  the  practice ;  in  their  own  structures  they 
worked  as  artificers,  while  the  abbots  and  superiors 
were  the  architects.  Their  connexion  with  Rome  was 
still  closer  than  that  of  the  Saxons.  After  their  esta- 
blishment in  England,  pilgrimage  was  with  them  a 
practice  in  which  the  national  fervour  systematically 
vented  itself  Italy  was  visited  as  well  on  account  of 
its  own  scenes  of  legendary  holiness,  as  because  it  was 
the  way  to  the  still  more  sacred  regions  of  the  East. 

The  Normans  were  much  disposed  to  pomp  and 
magnificence  in  their  apparel  and  in  their  public  and 
private  buildings.  They  secured  their  conquests  in 
England  by  building  an  immense  number  of  fortresses 
and  castles,  and  signalized  their  zeal  in  religion,  by 
the  number  and  splendour  of  their  ecclesiastical  edi- 
fices. Their  style,  although  similar  to  that  of  the 
Saxons,  demonstrating  its  Roman  origin,  shows  pro- 
gressive improvement  in  the  art;  the  vaultings  are 
more  lofty  and  the  pillars  of  greater  diameter.  Piers 
are  frequently  introduced.  The  mouldings  are  the 
zigzag,  and  other  Saxon  mouldings.  The  capitals  are 


Plate  XIII. 


PETERBOROUGH  CATHEDRAL, 


IN  ENGLAND. 


141 


elaborate,  and  often  all  different  in  the  same  building ; 
the  sculptures  numerous,  and  exceedingly  grotesque. 
The  doorways  and  windows  were  deep,  on  account  of 
the  excessive  thickness  of  the  walls,  and  were  always 
surmounted  with  a  semicircular  compound  arch.  The 
roofs  were  generally  vaulted  with  stone ;  the  groining, 
strong  and  plain,  without  tracery,  but  sometimes  laced 
on  one  or  both  sides  with  a  moulding. 

The  two  finest  structures  of  William  the  Conqueror's 
reign,  are  the  Cathedrals  of  Canterbury  and  Battle 
Abbey.  In  the  space  of  about  one  hundred  years, 
a  number  of  cathedrals  were  completed  in  England 
which  still  remain  for  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
the  present  age.  In  those  days,  among  the  Normans, 
the  highest  dignitaries  of  the  church  were  frequently 
architects.  Gundolph,  Bishop  of  Rochester,  was  the 
architect  of  Canterbury,  Peterborough  (Plate  XIII.), 
and  Rochester  Cathedrals.  The  latter  was  completed 
by  Ernulf,  Bishop  of  Salisbury.  Five  other  bishops 
during  this  period  are  known  to  have  been  skilful  archi- 
tects. The  richness  and  splendour  of  these  edifices 
can  be  accounted  for  in  no  other  way,  than  by  the  sup- 
position, that  aid  was  furnished  by  the  Roman  Pontiffs, 
who  were  then  in  the  plenitude  of  their  power.  They 
are  so  large  and  magnificent,  that  their  execution 
would  have  required  the  whole  revenue  of  the  nation, 
poor  as  it  then  was,  and  even  tliat  would  perhaps  have 
been  insufficient  for  the  purpose. 


142 


THE  ROMANESQUE 


THE  ROMANESQUE  IN  IRELAND. 

Christianity  was  introduced  in  Ireland  very  little 
later  than  in  England.  St.  Jerome  incontestably 
proves  that  there  was  a  Christian  church  in  Ireland  as 
early  as  the  fourth  or  beginning  of  the  fifth  century. 
The  Hibernian  legendary  lore  is  so  extravagantly  mar- 
vellous, that  it  is  difficult  to  gather  a  "grain  of  wheat 
from  the  bushels  of  chaff.  Many  of  the  Irish  ruins 
are  in  the  Romanesque  style.  The  Culdean  Abbey 
at  Monaincha  has  an  arched  portal,  w^hich  the  author 
of  "  The  Antiquities  of  Ireland,"  (published  in  Dublin, 
1790,)  thus  describes  :  "  The  arch  is  semicircular. 
Sculpture  seems  here  to  have  exhausted  her  treasures. 
A  nebule  moulding  adorns  the  outward  semicircle  of 
the  portal,  a  double  nebule  with  beads  the  second,  a 
chevron  the  third,  interspersed  with  triangular  frette, 
roses,  and  other  ornaments.  It  is  also  decorated  with 
chalices  artfully  made  at  every  stone  so  as  to  conceal 
the  joint." 

Cormac's  Chapel  is  described  as  "  one  of  the  most 
curious  fabrics  in  these  kingdoms ;  it  is  a  regular 
church,  divided  into  nave  and  choir,  the  latter  narrow- 
ing in  breadth,  and  separated  from  the  former  by  a 
wide  arch." 

The  remains  of  the  cathedral  or  stone  church  at 
Glendaloch,  in  the  Barony  of  Ballynacor,  is  a  fine 
specimen  of  the  Romanesque.      A  semicircular  arch 


IN  IRELAND. 


143 


forms  the  chancel,"  says  the  Irish  author,  ''the  eastern 
window  is  a  round  arch,  ornamented  with  a  chevron 
moulding."  The  sculptures  of  the  inmost  mouldings 
are  legendary.  One  part  is  a  dog  devouring  a  serpent. 
Tradition  tells  us  that  a  great  serpent  inhabited  the 
lake,  and  being  destructive  of  men  and  cattle  was 
killed  by  St.  Kevin.  In  another  part  the  saint  appears 
embracing  his  favourite  willow,*  and  among  the  foliage 
may  be  discovered  the  medicinal  apple. 

*  An  Icelandic  MS.  gives  the  following  account  of  this  wondi  rful 
Hibernian  Saint  :  "  There  was  in  Ireland  one,  among  the  body  of 
Saints,  named  Kevinus,  a  kind  of  hermit  inhabiting  the  tower  of 
Glumelhagem,  (Glendaloch)  who,  when  that  hap|K?ned  which  we  are 
about  to  relate,  had  in  his  house  a  young  man,  his  relation,  greatly 
beloved  by  him.  This  young  man  Ixring  attacked  by  a  disease  which 
seemed  mortal,  at  that  time  of  the  year  when  diseases  are  most  dan- 
gerous, namely  in  the  month  of  March,  and  taking  it  into  his  head 
that  an  apple  would  prove  a  remedy  for  his  disorder,  earnestly  be- 
sought his  relation  Kevinus  to  give  him  one.  At  that  time  no  apples 
were  to  be  had,  the  trees  having  then  just  begun  to  put  forth  their 
leaves.  But  Kevinus,  grieving  much  at  his  relation's  sickness,  be- 
sought the  Lord  to  grant  him  some  relief  for  his  kinsman.  After  his 
prayer  he  went  out  of  the  house  and  saw  a  large  tree,  a  salix  or 
willow,  whose  branches  he  examined,  and  as  if  for  the  ex|>ected 
remedy,  when  he  observed  the  tree  to  be  full  of  a  kind  of  apples,  just 
ripe.  Three  of  these  he  gathered  and  carried  to  the  young  man. 
When  the  youth  had  eaten  part  of  these  opples,  he  felt  his  disorder 
gradually  abate,  and  was  at  length  restored  to  his  former  health. 
The  tree  bears  every  year  a  fruit  like  an  apple,  which  from  that 
time  have  been  called  St.  Kevin's  apples,  and  it  is  notorious  that  they 
are  the  most  wholesome  medicine  against  all  disorders  to  ichich  * 


144 


THE  ROMANESQUE 


The  round  towers  of  Ireland  (Plate  XIV.)  are  among 
the  hobbies  of  antiquaries.  They  are  scattered  all 
over  Ireland.  Peter  Walsh  in  1684  observes :  "  That 
it  is  most  certain  those  high^  rounds  narrow  towers, 
built  cylinderwise,  were  never  known  or  built  in  Ire- 
land before  the  year  of  Christ  838,  when  the  heathen 
Danes,  possessing  a  great  part  of  the  country,  built 
them  in  several  places  to  serve  themselves  as  watch- 
towers  against  the  natives.  Though  ere  long  the 
Danes  being  expulsed,  the  Christian  Irish  turned 
them  to  another  and  much  better  use,  that  is,  to 
steeple-houses  or  belfries."  This  is  the  most  probable 
conjecture,  yet  another  old  writer  asserts  that  they 
were  the  residences  of  anchorites,  where  "  an  incar- 
nate angel  upon  earth  led  a  celestial  life." 

A  Mr.  Smith  who  wrote  upon  the  subject  a  learned 
dissertation,  says  of  a  tower  at  Ardmore,  "  That  there 
were  three  pieces  of  oak  still  remaining  on  which  the 
bell  was  hung ;  there  were  also  two  channels  cut  in  the 
tile  of  the  door  where  the  rope  came  out,  the  ringer 
standing  below  on  the  outside."     Upon  which  the 

mankind  are  liable.'''^  The  patience  of  St.  Kevin  was  wonderful. 
On  a  certain  time,  putting  his  hand  out  of  the  window,  and  lifting  it 
up  to  heaven,  according  to  custom,  a  blackbird  perched  upon  it,  and 
using  it  for  a  nest,  dropped  her  eggs  therein.  The  Saint  pitied  the 
bird,  and  neither  closed  his  hand,  nor  drew  it  in,  but  indefatigably 
kept  it  stretched  out  until  she  brought  forth  her  young.  In  memory 
of  this,  all  the  images  of  St.  Kevin  have  the  hand  extended  and  a 
^  bird  sitting  on  it. 


IN  IRELAND. 


145 


author  of  the  Antiquities"  remarks,  "  How  quickly 
does  the  finest  spun  hypothesis  disappear  before  this 
decisive  evidence  :  this  writer  was  not  refined  enough 
in  antiquarian  speculations  to  be  whimsical."  How- 
ever, this  same  Mr.  Smith  changed  his  opinion,  for  in 
a  subsequent  work  he  says,  an  Irish  MS.  informed 
him,  they  were  penitential  towers,  the  penitent  de- 
scending from  one  floor  to  another,  as  his  penance 
became  lighter,  until  he  came  to  the  door,  which  al- 
ways faced  the  east,  where  he  received  absolution." 

These  towers,  of  which  nearly  a  hundred  have  been 
found  in  Ireland,  are  of  various  heights,  from  50  to  140 
feet.  The  walls  are  three  or  four  feet  in  thickness. 
There  are  platforms  dividing  them  into  four,  five,  and 
even  seven  stories.  Some  of  them  are  fifty  feet  in 
circumference  at  the  base  ;  in  general,  they  are  not 
more  than  nine  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  four 
feet  at  the  summit.  The  doorways  are  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  ground,  often  as  high  as  twenty,  or 
twenty-four  feet,  without  any  steps  on  the  exterior  to 
ascend  to  them.  These  doorways  are  Romanesque ; 
the  arches  are  semicircular  and  compound,  ornamented 
with  the  zigzag  moulding.  These  peculiarities  point 
out  their  architectural  date  and  orijxin ;  their  use  must 
still  remain  an  anti([uarian  enigma. 


10 


146  THE  ROMANESQUE 


THE  ROMANESQUE  IN  SCOTLAND. 

Round  towers  have  been  found  in  Scotland,  and 
their  use  and  antiquity  have  puzzled  the  Scotch  anti- 
quaries, and  occasioned  as  many  conjectures,  as  those 
in  Ireland.  The  footsteps  of  Rome  may  be  traced  in 
the  architecture,  less  distinctly  than  in  England  and 
Ireland  ;  yet  there  were  churches,  rude  indeed,  be- 
fore the  eighth  century,  which  doubtless  had  a  Roman 
origin. 

THE  ROMANESQUE  IN  GERMANY. 

The  style  of  architecture  in  Germany,  termed  by 
some  writers  Byzantine  and  Romanesque,  corresponds 
with  the  style  in  England  which  we  term  Norman, 
though  in  some  respects  they  vary  considerably. 
Thus  we  never  find  in  German  churches,  the  pon- 
derous cylindrical  piers  which  occur  in  English 
buildings."* 

At  Lorsch,  near  the  Rhine,  a  building  still  exists, 
which  was  part  of  a  church  consecrated  in  774  in  the 
presence  of  Charlemagne.  In  it  are  found,  on  the  lower 
floor,  regular  Corinthian  semi-columns  (Plate  IX.),  and 
on  the  upper,  Ionic  pilasters  ;  the  zigzag  mouldings 
and  other  ornaments  show  the  commencement  of  the 


*  Stuart. 


I 


Plate  XV. 


6 


LOMBARDIE  CHURCH  AT  COLOGNE 


-  IN  ITALY.  147 

Romanesque.  The  three  colossal  cathedrals  of  the 
Upper  Rhine,  Worms,  Mentz,  and  Spires,  are  Roman- 
esque on  a  scale  unrivalled  in  England. 

There  was  no  unity  in  this  style,  as  in  the  Gothic 
that  succeeded  it :  the  Ionic  volute,  and  Corinthian 
acanthus,  are  frequently  traceable  above  the  perpen- 
dicular Romanesque  shaft  (the  same  diameter  at  the 
top  as  at  the  base). 

While  this  transition  was  going  on,  from  the  classic 
orders  to  a  new  and  more  perfect  style,  architecture 
was  of  course  mixed,  and  in  some  respects  barbarous ; 
yet  there  were  many  striking  and  beautiful  inventions, 
which  gave  a  distinctive  character  to  the  details  (espe- 
cially to  the  ornaments)  of  that  period.  The  Church 
at  Cologne  (Plate  XV.)  is  a  good  example  of  the  Lom- 
bard ic  style. 


THE  ROMANESQUE  IN  ITALY. 

In  Italy  may  be  found  every  variety  in  this  style. 
The  departures  from  classic  models  were  not  so  strik- 
ing as  those  of  Northern  Europe,  yet  there  are  splendid 
specimens  of  the  mixed  or  transition  style.  The  west 
door  of  the  Church  of  St.  Giacomo,  at  Venice,  has  a 
canopy  that  shows  one  of  these  singular  combinations. 
Here  the  shafts  of  the  columns  rest  upon  lions.  Four 
retreating  arches  rest  upon  columns,  with  mixed  capi- 
tals. Above  rises  the  acute  Romanesque  pediment, 
surmounted  by  the  cross. 


148 


THE  ROMANESQUE. 


THE  ROMANESQUE  IN  FRANCE. 

Of  all  the  Romanesque  varieties,  that  of  the  south 
of  France  appears  to  possess  the  most  simplicity  and 
plainness  of  decoration,  and  yet  the  greatest  complica- 
tion of  plan.  Pilasters  are  used  in  the  interior  of 
churches  of  so  classical  an  appearance,  that  if  they 
were  not  almost  universal,  one  would  be  tempted  to 
believe  them  interpolations  from  more  ancient  struc- 
tures. The  celebrated  Abbey  of  Clugny  was  built 
about  910,  by  Bermo,  Abbot  of  Balme.  Many  other 
splendid  edifices  in  the  Romanesque  style  adorned 
other  parts  of  France,  and  remain  lasting  monuments 
of  the  architecture  of  that  period.  The  Church  of  St. 
Etienne  (Plate  XII.),  at  Caen,  was  founded  by  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror,  and  "  there  the  dead  body  of  the 
sovereign  before  whom  all  men  had  trembled,  was  hur- 
ried to  the  grave." 

There  is  not  only  great  beauty,  but  there  are  many 
other  excellencies,  worthy  of  imitation  in  the  Roman- 
esque or  Lombard  style ;  the  best  specimens  evince 
great  architectural  skill,  and  consummate  knowledge 
#  in  the  freemasons  who  are  supposed  to  have  been  the 
builders.  "  Some  historians  fancy  they  find  symptons 
of  freemasonry  as  early  as  the  seventh  century,  and 
that  a  peculiar  masonic  language  may  be  traced  as  far 
back  as  the  reigns  of  Charlemagne  and  Alfred." 


CHAPTER  XITI 


GOTHIC  OR  POINTED  ARCHITECTURE. 

During  the  twelfth  century,  symptoms  of  a  great 
architectural  revolution  bej^an  to  show  themselves  in 
northwestern  Europe.  After  the  lapse  of  ages,  an 
originative  period  in  the  constructive  art  once  more 
approached.  Various  changes  were  in  trod  uc-ed  during 
the  period  of  the  Romanesque,  which,  though  at  I  lie 
time  may  have  seemed  mere  matters  of  detail,  now 
that  we  can  look  back  upon  them,  in  one  connected 
view,  are  clearly  seen  to  have  been  the  various  partial 
developments  of  one  grand  and  self-consistent  whole. 
An  internal  principle  of  harmony  was  apparent  in  the 
newer  works,  clear  and  single,  like  that  which  had 
pervaded  the  buildings  of  anticjuity. 

It  does  not  seem  surprising  that  a  new  style  of 
architecture  should  arise,  adapted  to  a  new  and  pure 
religion.  The  mighty,  massive  structures  of  the 
Egyptians  excited  awe  bordering  on  terror ;  they  were 
intended  to  conceal  the  mysteries  which  priestcraft 
imposed  upon  ignorance.  The  purer  Grecian  style 
was  the  embodying  of  a  love  of  the  beautiful,  for 


150 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


which  the  Greeks  were  remarkable  ;  they  deified 
nature,  amid  her  most  beautiful  scenes,  and  made 
their  splendid  temples  to  harmonize  with  the  sunny 
sky  of  clearest  cerulean,  her  waving  groves  and  spark- 
ling streams,  fanned  by  the  bland  breezes  of  the  blue 
JEge^n.  This  light  and  graceful  beauty  was  united 
with  the  lofty  character,  stamped  upon  all  the  works 
of  ancient  Greece  by  the  stern  dignity  of  republican 
simplicity. 

The  Romans,  in  their  religion  and  architecture, 
were  imitators  of  the  Greeks.  When,  as  mistress  of 
the  world,  Rome  reared  her  gorgeous  fabrics  and  hung 
her  lofty  vaults  in  air,  they  were  symbols  of  her 
aspiring  ambition.  Rich  in  decoration,  and  gigantic 
in  size,  her  finest  structures  were  wanting  in  grace 
and  elegant  simplicity. 

The  characteristic  forms  of  Classic  Architecture, 
were  "  horizontal,  reposing,  definite of  the  Christian 
Architecture,  "  vertical,  aspiring,  indefinite."  "  It 
would  hardly  be  too  fanciful,"  says  a  reverend  author, 
"  to  consider  the  newer  religious  architecture  as  bear- 
ing the  impress  of  its  Christian  birth,  and  exhibiting  in 
the  leading  lines  of  its  members,  and  the  aspiring 
summits  of  its  edifices,  forms  whose  '  silent  finger 
points  to  Heaven.'  "^ 

*  "  The  principle  of  the  Gothic  Architecture  is  Infinity  made 
imaginable.  It  is  no  doubt  a  sublimer  effort  of  genius  than  the  Greek 
style." — Coleridge. 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


151 


The  term  Gothic,  "  La  maniera  Gotica,"  was  first 
given  in  contempt  by  the  ItaUan  writers  to  the  pointed 
architecture  of  the  middle  ages.  Sir  Christopher  Wren 
was  the  first  English  writer  who  applied  it  to  English 
Architecture ;  he  objected  to  the  term,  and  proposed 
Saracenic  instead,  believing  that  to  have  been  its 
origin.  Britton  has  suggested  the  propriety  of  calling 
it  the  Christian  Architecture  ;  to  this  many  objections 
might  be  urged.  Though  the  Goths  have  no  more 
claim  to  the  invention  of  the  style,  than  the  Hindoos 
or  the  Mexicans,  the  name  Gothic  has  so  long  been 
employed,  and  is  so  generally  understood  to  designate 
the  pointed  architecture,  that  it  would  be  unwise  to 
attempt  a  change,  even  could  a  better  be  substituted. 

As  the  pointed  arch  is  the  most  striking  and  familiar 
feature  of  the  Gothic  style,  it  has  been  supposed  the 
turning  point  of  the  revolution,  which  we  have  seen 
was  progressively  accomplished.  Flying  buttresses, 
tracery,  clustered  cobumis,  and  lofty  spires  are  also 
distinctive  features. 

The  Gothic  style  is  said  to  have  been  suggested  in 
various  ways.  From  the  lofty  groves  of  heathen 
worship.  The  perfect  form  of  the  Gothic  arch  ap- 
pears in  avenues  of  trees,  particularly  the  elm  ;*  from 
huts  made  with  the  entwined  twigs  of  trees ;  from  the 

*  In  Temple  Street,  New  Haven,  the  high  branches  of  weeping  elms 
form  a  succession  of  beautiful  arches,  like  the  nave  of  a  cathedral, 
ornamented  with  light  and  graceful  tracery  by  the  pendant  branches. 


152 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


Structure  of  frame- 
work in  wooden 
buildings  ;  from 
the  Pyramids  of 
Egypt ;  from  the 
form  of  the  keel  of 
an  ancient  boat  re- 
versed ;  from  the 
intersection  of  se- 
micircular arches. 
(Fig.  24.)  These 
suppositions  are,  all  but  the  last,  fanciful  and  unsatis- 
factory. 

All  countries  in  adopting  a  neighbouring  style,  have 
been  obliged  to  accommodate  it  to  some  peculiarities  in 
their  own  condition,  so  that  a  person  familiar  with  ex- 
amples from  all  countries  and  ages,  can  tell  upon  in- 
specting a  building,  or  even  an  important  member  of  a 
building,  to  what  age  and  country  it  belonged.  The 
liability  to  heavy  falls  of  snow,  which  would  encumber 
and  endanger  flat  roofs,  could  hardly  fail  to  teach 
northern  architects  the  necessity  of  raising  and  render- 
ing acute  the  angle  of  the  roof  The  gable,  wherever 
it  appeared,  would  become  proper tionably  acute,  giv- 
ing a  new  tone  to  the  facade  with  which  it  was  con- 
nected, and  requiring,  for  the  sake  of  uniformity,  the 
adoption  of  pointed  lines  parallel  to  its  own,  in  the 
portals,  windows,  and  other  parts  of  the  building. 
For  it  may  be  here  remarked,  that  the  members  and 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


153 


ornaments  of  a  building  must  be  governed  by  the  form 
and  character  of  the  building  itself 

"  The  parts  of  Gothic  buildings  are  adapted  to  each 
other,  as  well  as  to  the  general  design.  The  arched 
doors  and  mullioned  windows  are  essential  parts  ;  and 
the  spires,  pinnacles,  and  buttresses  serve  by  their 
weight  to  bind  together  the  whole  edifice.  The  his- 
tory of  the  style  accounts  for  its  propriety,  its  chiefest 
merit.  The  Gothic  Architecture,  whatever  its  primi- 
tive elements  may  have  been,  was  created  in  the 
northern  parts  of  Europe;  it  was  there  adapted  to  tlie 
wants  of  a  more  inclement  sky." 

But  if  the  hypotheses  on  the  origin  of  the  Gothic 
style  are  various,  no  less  so  are  the  opinions  as  to  the 
nation  to  which  the  invention  belonfjs.  It  has  l^een 
ascribed  to  the  Hindoos,  Egyptians,  Hebrews,  Romans, 
Greeks,  Saracens,  French,  English,  Germans,  Italians, 
Spaniards,  Goths,  Lombards,  and  Scotch.* 

In  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  century,  the  Crusades 
had  drawn  the  flower  of  European  chivalry  to  the 
East;  vast  numbers  of  ecclesiastics  accompanied  them, 
and  as  they  were  the  repositories  of  art  and  science 
during  that  age,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  they 
brought  home  to  Europe  many  novel  inventions  in 
Architecture.     There  was  also  about  this  period  a 

*  Authorities  consulted  ;  Dr.  Stukcly,  Lord  Aberdeen,  Dr.  Led- 
wich,  Gnnn,  Whilaker,  Knight,  Barry,  Lascelks,  Wren,  Warburton, 
Strutt,  VVotton,  Sniirke,  Wliittington,  Milncr,  Hall,  Turner,  Wilson, 


154 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


corporation  of  builders  or  freemasons,  consisting  of 
Greeks,  Italians,  French,  Germans,  and  Flemish,  who 
kept  secret  the  principles  of  their  art.  Protected  by 
papal  bulls,  they  travelled  from  place  to  place  for  the 
purpose  of  building  ecclesiastical  edifices.  They  had 
undoubtedly  seen  the  finest  specimens  of  art  in  the 
East,  and  would  introduce  from  Saracenic  Architec- 
ture whatever  was  suitable  for  northern  buildings, 
especially  in  parts  that  were  ornamental. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  origin  of  pointed  or 
Gothic  Architecture  is  hid  in  the  obscurity  of  "  the 
dark  ages;"  the  principles  have  been  discovered  only 
after  long  and  careful  examination  of  the  buildings 
themselves. 

Three  modes  in  Gothic  Architecture  are  mentioned 
under  difierent  names,  by  different  architects.  In 
England,  these  modes  have  been  characterized  by  the 
terms  Early  English,"  "  Decorated,"  and  "  Perpen- 
dicular,"* the  first  being  in  fact  the  incipient,  the 
second  the  perfect,  and  the  third  the  degenerating 
Gothic  of  England. 

The  most  prominent  features  of  the  Early  Eng- 
lish" are  exhibited  in  Salisbury  Cathedral.  These 
features  are  the  high  pointed  roof  and  gable ;  the 
single  or  the  triple  lancet  windows  (Fig.  25) ;  the 

*  Mr.  Rickman  was  the  originator  of  these  terms,  to  which  Britton 
and  some  others  object ;  but  as  they  designate  more  accurately  the 
several  modes,  than  any  other  terms  hitherto  employed,  we  adopt 
them,  not  as  established,  but  quoted  from  the  author. 


Plate  XVI, 


INTERIOR  OF  YORK  MINSTER. 


\ 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE.  155 

simple,  bold  doorway,  fre- 
quently divided  by  a  central 
column,  or  cluster  columns, 
and  headed  by  the  same 
pointed  arches  as  the  win- 
dows ;  the  massive  buttress, 
with  its  deep  water-tables, 
between  each  stage. 

The  Early  English,  ac- 
cording to   Rickman,  pre- 
vailed from  1189  to  about 
1307.    Its  architecture  had 
throughout  the  lancet  arch  ; 
the   piers  of  the  interior 
arches  maintained  the  cir- 
cular character  common  to  the  Romanesque  style,  but 
were  set  around  with   four  or 
more  slender  shafts,  attached  like 
reeds  around  a  greater  cylinder, 
and  in  some  instances  bound  to- 
gether by  mouldings  at  intervals. 
The  Rose  or  Catharine  window, 
is  frequently  found  worked  with 
great  care. 

The  general  character  of  the  Early  EngUsh,  was 
that  of  severe  and  simple  majesty ;  the  ornaments  were 
bold  and  striking.  In  this  style  the  best  entire  spe- 
cimen in  England  is  Salisbury  Cathedral.  Parts 
of  Westminster  Abbey  Church,  the  nave  and  aisles 
of  Peterborough,  and  parts  of  Ely,  Worcester,  and 


Fig.  25. 


156 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


York  Cathedrals,  furnish  other  examples  of  the  Early 
English  Gothic.  This  period  includes  the  reigns  of 
Richard  L,  John,  Henry  III.,  and  Edward  I. 

The  Decorated  English*  prevailed  from  about  1307 
to  1377,  or  as  some  say,  till  1460;  or  from  the  decease 
of  Edward  the  First,  till  that  of  Richard  11. ,  thus  in- 
cluding the  long  reign  of  Edward  III. 

Fig.  27.  Fig.  28. 


During  this  period,  the  Gothic  in  England  was  dis- 
tinguished for  grace  and  elegance  of  proportion,  for 
richness  of  decoration  without  exuberance,  and  for 
scientific  skilfulness  of  execution.  The  windows  of 
this  period  differ  from  those  of  the  preceding,  by  being 

*  This  second  style  in  England,  has  also  been  called  "  the  pure 
Gothic."  An  eminent  architect  has  suggested  that  this  division  should 
be  called  "  the  Triangular -arched  order ;"  as  the  form  of  the  arch 
which  was  then  principally  in  vogue  admitted  of  an  equilateral  triangle 
being  precisely  inscribed  between  the  crowning  point  of  the  arch,  and 
its  points  of  springing  at  the  impost. 


Plate  XVII. 


YORK  MINSTER. 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


157 


larger  and  divided  by  slender  upright  7nuIUons.  Some 
were  still  adorned  with  geometrical  tracery  (Fig.  27) ; 
others  were  enriched  with  flowing  tracery  (Fig.  28), 
called  in  France,  Flamboyant,  from  its  resemblance  to 
flames.  This  kind  of  tracery  is  beautifully  described 
by  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

"  The  moon  on  the  vast  oriel  shone, 
Through  slender  shafts  of  shapely  stone, 

By  foliagcd  tracery  combined. 
Thou  wouldst  have  thought  some  fairy's  hand, 
'Twixt  poplars  straight,  the  ozier  wand 

In  many  a  freakish  knot  had  twined  ; 
Then  framed  a  spell,  when  the  work  was  done. 
And  changed  the  willow-wreaths  to  stone." 

The  arch  is  generally  the  equila-  Fio.  29. 
teral  triangle,  or  more  obtuse.  But- 
tresses are  richer  and  usually  linished 
by  pinnacles  (Plate  XVII.),  orna- 
mented with  crockets.  A  common 
form  of  finish  for  doors  was  the  pyra- 
midal label  (Plate  XVII.),  which  was 
enriched  with  crockets  at  the  top  and 
sides  like  the  pinnacles.  In  small 
works,  the  ogee  arch  is  frequently 
found  in  the  same  manner  decorated 
with  crockets.  In  the  interior,  the 
clustered  shafts  are  incorporated  into 
quadrangular  piers  (Fig.  29),  the 
roofs  are  elaborately  groined  (Plate 
XVI.),  and  the  mouldings  rich  and 


158 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


Fi&.  30. 


varied.  Tapering  spires  now  pointed  "heavenward," 
breaking  np  the  monotony  of  horizontal  lines,  and  giv- 
ing a  pleasing,  impressive  effect  to  distant  scenery. 

Among  some  of  the  most  beautiful  examples  of 
this  style,  from  1307  to  1377,  are  York  Minster,  the 
Chapter  House  of  York  Cathedral,  and  several  parts  of 
Exeter  Cathedral.  Under  Edward  III.,  parts  of  Ely, 
Carlisle,  and  Gloucester  Cathedrals.  Under  Richard 
II.,  Henry  IV.,  and  V.,  parts  of  Winchester  and  Can- 
terbury Cathedrals. 

The  Perpendicular''^'^  style  is  marked  by  its  win- 
dows (Fig.  30),  the  mullions  of  which  are  carried 

perpendicularly  to  the  head, 
instead  of  finishing  in  flowing 
lines.  Arches  are  generally 
quite  obtuse ;  arches  still  more 
depressed  than  Fig.  30  were 
frequently  employed.  This 
style  is  distinguished  by  its  su- 
perfluity of  decoration  and  mi- 
nuteness in  the  details.  If  we 
include  under  this  third  period, 
(according  to  Rickman,)  from 
1377  to  the  decline  of  the 
Gothic  style  in  the  15th  cen- 

*  Several  other  appellations  have  been  bestowed  upon  this  third 
variety  of  the  Gothic,  viz. :  "  Florid  Gothic "  The  Tudor  Style 
"  The  Obtuse-arched  Style."    Britton  says,  "  Probably  there  is  not 
any  single  phrase  in  the  range  of  our  vocabulary,  by  which  it  could 
be  successfully  and  distinctively  denominated." 


Plate  XVIII. 


INTbRIOR  OF  KING'S  COLLEGE  CHAPEL 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE.  159 

tury,  then  King's  College  Chapel  (Plate  XVIII.)  may 
be  mentioned  as  its  finest  example.  It  is  universally 
acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  most  magnificent 
triumphs  of  architectural  science  in  the  kingdom." 
It  was  commenced  by  Henry  VI.,  about  1443.  The 
great  interest  of  this  building,  architecturally  consi- 
dered, is  in  the  stability  and  beauty  of  the  stone  vault- 
ing, which,  for  the  elegance  of  the  fanlike  tracery 
with  which  it  is  overspread  in  rich  profusion,  is  per- 
haps unparalleled. 

St.  George's  at  Windsor  was  in  progress  during 
several  reigns,  and  was  not  completed  till  after  the 
tenth  year  of  Henry  VIII.  The  letters-patent  of 
Richard  II.,  are  still  extant  (1390,)  appointing  the  cele- 
brated Geoffrey  Chaucer,  Clerk  of  the  Works  to  this 
Chapel.  Chaucer  was  empowered  to  "impress  car- 
penters, and  other  workmen,  for  the  necessary  opera- 
tions of  the  said  chapel,  and  allowed  two  shillings  per 
day,  with  the  privilege  of  having  a  deputy."  This 
chapel  was  repaired,  at  a  great  expense,  by  George 
the  Third. 

One  of  the  finest  specimens  of  the  Perpendicular 
or  Florid  style,  is  the  Chapel  of  Henry  VII.,  at 
Westminster.  This  has  been  called  by  an  English 
divine,  the  miracle  of  the  world."  It  would 
seem,  indeed,  as  though  the  architect  had 'intended 
to  give  to  the  stone  the  character  of  embroidery,  and 
enclose  his  walls  in  meshes  of  lace- work."  The 
geometrical  skill  exhibited  in  the  design,  and  the 


4 


160  GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 

aspiring  lightness,  have  justly  called  forth  universal 
admiration.  From  the  vault  hang  those  stone  pen- 
dants that  are  so  rich  and  beautiful.  Henry  VII.,  it  is 
said,  was  impelled  to  erect  this  chapel  by  the  "  com- 
punctious visitings"  of  a  guilty  conscience ;  in  order 
to  make  his  peace  with  Heaven,  he  judged  it  necessary 
to  expend  a  portion  of  his  ill-gotten  treasures  in  works 
of  charity  and  devotion.  The  weal  of  his  soul  was  to 
be  secured  by  chaunting  of  psalms  and  requiems,  and 
other  superstitious  ceremonies,  as  well  as  by  costly 
sacrifices.  Was  there  none  to  say  to  the  alarmed 
monarch,  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  and  a 
contrite  spirit,  which  are  in  His  sight  of  great  price  ?" 

Under  the  tyrannic  and  capricious  sway  of  Henry 
VIII.,  spoliation  and  devastation  superseded  invention 
and  design.  The  Chapel  of  Henry  VII.  is  therefore 
left  as  the  last  gorgeous  specimen  of  the  Perpendicular 
or  Florid  Gothic  in  England. 

"  Doomed  to  hide  her  banished  head 
Forever,  Gothic  Architecture  fled  ; 
Forewarned,  she  left  in  one  most  beauteous  place, 
(That  much  might  of  her  ancient  fame  be  said,) 
Her  pendant  roof,  her  windows'  branchy  grace. 
Pillars  of  clustered  reeds  and  tracery  of  lace^ 

These  succeeding  epochs  of  the  Gothic  in  England 
are  not  distinctly  divided  from  each  other ;  they  may 
be  said  to  overlap,  so  that  buildings  erected  during  the 
latter  part  of  what  is  termed  the  ''Early  English," 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


161 


contain  many  examples  of  the  "  Decorated"  style ;  and 
the  same  maybe  said  of  the  "  Decorated"  and  *'the 
Perpendicular." 

In  other  countries  beside  England,  the  Gothic 
appears  to  have  had  three  principal  stages,  the  earlij^ 
the  perfect,  and  the  degeneratijuj.  Starting  from  the 
same  mode,  the  Romanesque,  the  various  nations  of 
Northwestern  Europe  seem  to  have  proceeded,  each 
in  its  own  way,  to  the  discovery  of  the  principles  of  the 
pointed  style,  and  the  fact  is  striking,  that  in  the  second 
stage  they  all  reached  nearly  the  same  goal.  Tlie  per- 
fect or  Decorated  Gothic  is  to  l)e  seen,  varied  only  in 
unimportant  points  of  detail,  at  York  and  Exeter,  in 
England,  at  Cologne  and  Oppenheim,  in  Germany, 
in  the  beautiful  church  of  St.  Ouen,  at  Rouen,  in 
France,  and  in  Fair  Melrose,"  in  Scotland.  This 
point  of  union  had  not  long  been  reached  in  each 
country  before  the  style  began  to  decline,  each  adoi)t- 
ing  various  specimens  of  an  after  style  peculiar  to 
themselves  until  the  trrcat  changes  of  the  sixteenth 
century. 

The  Gothic  cathedrals  of  Germany  far  surpass  in 
size  and  magnificence  any  that  England  can  boast. 

Strasburg,  on  the  Rhine,  which  formerly  belonged 
to  Germany,  has  a  splendid  cathedral,  built  in  the 
thirteenth  century.  The  fa(;ade  of  Strasburg  measures 
about  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  breadth,  and  in 
height  about  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  (far  above 
the  towers  of  York,)  then  rises  the  tower  and  the  lofty 

11 


162 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


spire  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet,  making  the 
whole  height  nearly  four  hundred  and  sixty  feet. 

Exclusively  of  the  noble  spire,  the  majestic  west 
front  of  Strasburg  exceeds  the  whole  height  of  the 
loftiest  fronts  in  England,,  including  the  towers.  The 
extreme  height  of  Westminster  is  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  to  the  top  of  the  spire ;  it  would  there- 
fore look  like  a  dwarf,  if  placed  before  this  gigantic 
structure  of  Strasburg.  This  immense  cathedral  is 
embellished  with  a  richness  of  decoration  almost  un- 
paralleled. "  The  building,"  says  Mr.  Whewell, 
looks  as  if  it  were  placed  behind  a  rich  open  screen, 
or  in  a  cage  of  wwen  stone." 

The  Cologne  Cathedral  is  admired  by  many,  as  the 
finest  specimen  of  the  Gothic  style  in  Europe ;  the 
richness  of  its  decoration  can  scarcely  be  imagined. 
The  Germans  unquestionably  preceded  the  English 
in  perfecting  the  Gothic.  The  spire  of  England  is 
generally  a  vast  obelisk  placed  upon  a  tower,  to  which 
it  seems  to  have  been  appended  by  an  after  thought, 
while  the  spire  of  Germany  seems  an  integral  part  of 
the  building  itself,  rising  with  the  gracefulness  and 
airy  lightness  of  frostwork. 

France  has  contested  with  England  the  honour  of 
having  first  brought  the  Gothic  style  to  perfection. 
She  ^ertainly  can  exhibit  splendid  testimony  to  sup- 
port this  claim.  The  cathedrals  of  Rheims,  Amiens, 
Chartres,  Beauvais,  and  St.  Ouen,  what  can  rival  them 
in  England  ? 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


163 


Rheims  boasts  the  most  celebrated  cathedral  in 
France,  on  account  of  its  historical  associations,*  its 
immense  size,  and  its  antiquity.  It  was  originally 
founded  more  than  a  thousand  years  ago,  but  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1210 ;  in  the  same  year  the  new  edifice 
was  begun,  and  it  was  finished,  excepting  some  of  its 
ornaments,  in  thirty  years.  This  cathedral  has  no  mix- 
ture of  designs;  it  is  rich  and  light,  massive  below, 
but  being  in  the  pyramidal  form,  springs  airy  and 
graceful  as  it  ascends.  The  western  portal  is  mag- 
nificent, and  the  minute  beauties  are  singularly  fine. 

Amiens  Cathedral  has,  however,  been  considered 
by  some  learned  critics,  as  the  perfection  of  Gothic 
Architecture.  It  was  begun  in  the  same  year  with 
Salisbury,  and  is  built  on  a  similar  plan ;  they  have 
often  been  compared,  but  it  is  dilficult  to  decide  be- 
tween their  respective  merits.  It  has  been  said,  that 
Salisbury  has  the  advantage  of  lightness,  but  Amiens 
surpasses  it  in  loftiness  and  richness  of  decoration. 
The  west  front  of  the  latter  is  crowded  witli  armies  of 
prophets,  martyrs,  and  angels,  which  line  the  door- 
ways, crowed  the  w^alls,  and  absolutely  swarm  around 
the  pinnacles. 

Spain,  though  some  of  its  cathedrals,  are  surpassingly 
rich,  seems  to  have  been  indebted  for  its  principal 
honours  to  northern  architects.    Its  general  style  of 

*  The  kings  of  France  were  fornierly  crowned  at  Rheims.  h  was 
there  that  the  unfortunate  heroine,  Joan  of  Arc,  placeti  the  crown 
upon  the  head  of  the  ungrateful  Charles. 


164  GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 

Gothic  Architecture  is  strong  and  massive,  with  orna- 
ments of  great  delicacy,  borrowed  from  the  Moors. 

There  is  no  genuine  Gothic  building  in  Italy. 
Her  artists  never  entirely  lost  sight  of  the  classical 
structures  around  them,  and  mingled  in  their  designs 
Gothic  features  with  the  classical ;  yet  there  are  many 
splendid  cathedrals  which  have  called  forth  admiration. 
Milan  Cathedral  is  a  mountain  of  sculpture. 

Batalha,  the  glory  of  Portugal,  was  founded  by  John 
1.  in  1385.  It  bears  incontestable  proof  that  the  gene- 
ral architecture  is  the  offspring  of  a  northern  clime, 
incongruously  modified  by  its  southern  situation.  Its 
flat  stone  roof  is  adapted  to  the  sunny  skies  of  Portu- 
gal, yet  its  splendid  west  window  is  acute,  as  is  also 
Fig.  31.  thc  portal,  and  the  pinnacles  are  taper- 
ing. Notwithstanding  these  incongru- 
ities, it  is  one  of  the  most  highly  finished 
specimens  of  the  Gothic  style  in  Europe, 
adorned  with  a  profusion  of  ornaments, 
executed  in  a  masterly  manner,  some  of 
which  are  hieroglyphical  and  inexplica- 
ble to  the  learned.  It  was  built  by  an 
Irish  architect  of  the  name  of  Hacket. 

In  Scotland,  the  ancient  ecclesiastical  edifices,  al- 
though inferior  in  size  to  those  in  England,  are 
generally  in  the  best  style  of  Gothic  Architecture. 
During  the  reign  of  David  I.,  many  fine  structures 
were  built.  History  and  poetry  have  united  to  throw^ 
a  charm  around  Scotia's  time-worn  monuments,  by 


Plate  XIX. 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


165 


giving  them  interesting,  though  melancholy,  associa- 
tions. 

Melrose  Abbey,  although  founded  many  years  be- 
fore, was  increased  and  beautified  in  the  reign  of  David 
I.  It  was  in  the  *'  Decorated  Gothic ;"  a  part  of  the 
choir  remains,  in  which  is  an  immense  window,  with 
the  mullions  entire,  and  tracery  broken. 

"  If  thou  wouldst  view  fair  Melrose  ariglit, 

Go  visit  it  by  the  pale  moonlight ; 

For  the  gay  beams  of  lightsome  day 

Gild,  but  to  flout  the  ruins  gray : 

When  the  broken  arches  are  black  in  night, 

And  each  shafted  oriel  glimmers  white; 

When  the  cold  light's  uncertain  shower, 

Streams  on  the  ruined  central  tower  ; 

When  buttress  and  buttress,  alternately, 

Seem  framed  of  ebon  and  ivory  ; 

When  silver  edges  the  imagery. 

And  the  scrolls  that  teach  thee  to  live  and  die  ; 

When  distant  Tweed  is  heard  to  rave. 

And  the  owlet  to  hoot  o'er  the  dead  man's  grave. 

Then  go,  but  go  alone  the  while, 

Then  view  St.  David's  ruined  pile ; 

And  home  returning  soothly  swear, 

Was  never  scene  so  sad  and  fair." 


"  The  darkened  roof  rose  high  alof)f 
On  piUxirs,  lofiy,  and  light,  and  small  ; 

The  keystonCy  that  l(x;ked  each  ribbed  aisle^ 
Was  a  fleur-de-lysy  or  a  quatre  feuille  ;* 


♦The French  word,  which  was  doubtless  the  original  of  quatrefoUy 
(Fig.  31.) 


166 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


The  corhells*-  were  carved  grotesque  and  grim, 
And  the  pillars,  with  clustered  shafts  so  trim, 
With  base  and  capital  flourished  around, 
Seemed  bundles  of  lances  which  garlands  had  bound." 

How  perfect  is  this  description  by  Sir  Walter  Scott ! 
Washington  Irving,  in  his  visit  to  Abbotsford,  mentions 
the  deUght  with  which  Sir  Walter  spoke  of  old  Mel- 
rose. "  The  Abbey  was  evidently  a  pile  that  called 
up  all  Scott's  poetic  and  romantic  feeling.  He  spoke 
of  it,  I  may  say,  with  affection.  The  heart  of  Robert 
Bruce,  the  hero  of  Scotland,  had  teen  buried  in  it.  He 
dwelt  on  the  beautiful  story  of  Bruce' s  pious  and  chi- 
valrous request  in  his  dying  hour,  that  his  heart  might 
be  carried  to  the  Holy  Land  and  placed  in  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  in  fulfilment  of  a  vow  of  pilgrimage ;  and 
of  the  loyal  expedition  of  Sir  James  Douglas,  to  convey 
thither  the  glorious  relic.  Before  dismissing  the  theme 
of  the  relics  from  the  Abbey,"  says  Irving,  "  I  will 
mention  another,  illustrative  of  Scott's  varied  humours. 
This  was  a  human  skull,  which  had  probably  belonged 
of  yore  to  one  of  those  jovial  friars,  so  honourably 
mentioned  in  the  old  border  ballad : 

*  O  the  monks  of  Melrose  made  gude  kale, 

On  Fridays  when  they  fasted ; 
They  wanted  neither  beef  nor  ale, 

As  long  as  their  neighbours'  lasted.' 

*  "Corbells,  the  projections  from  which  the  arches  spring,  usually 
cut  in  a  fantastic  face  or  mark." — Scott. 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


167 


"  It  was  a  matter  of  great  wonder  and  speculation, 
among  the  superstitious  housemaids,  that  the  laird 
should  have  such  *  an  awsome  fancy  for  an  auld  girn- 
ing  skull.' " 

With  the  sixteenth  century,  that  convulsive  period 
which  shattered  the  whole  fabric  and  new  moulded 
the  wjiole  moral  constitution  of  society,  the  last  vestiges 
of  Gothic  originative  art  disappeared. 

We  have  confined  our  remarks  on  the  architecture 
of  the  middle  ages,  to  ecclesiastical  edifices.  We  shall 
have  occasion  again  to  refer  to  the  Gothic  style  under 
Domestic  Architecture. 

Although  citizens  of  the  United  States  feel  compa- 
ratively little  interest  in  the  noble  cathedrals  of  Eng- 
land, yet  it  would  be  strange  if  they  had  no  sympathy 
with  their  ancestors  of  the  father-land,  of  the  same 
speech  and  blood,  and  faith,  who  worshipped  with  re- 
verence beneath  those  venerable  piles.  These  edifices 
have  stood  during  the  whole  period  most  familiar  to 
our  historic  recollections.  We  admire  their  magical 
hghtness,  their  majestic  loftiness,  their  grave  solemnity, 
but  even  as  we  do  so,  a  sentiment  of  wonder  arises  in 
our  minds,  and  we  ask  involuntarily,  Why  all  this 
magnificence  ?"  Was  it,  that  the  churchmen  of  old. 
wished  to  display  their  power,  to  increase  their  hold 
over  the  imagination  of  the  people,  or  to  give  employ- 
ment to  a  population  of  serfs  ?  Was  it  because  the 
people  universally  thought  that  they  could  buy  Heaven 
with  the  positive  merits  of  their  good  works  1 


168 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


Let  US  believe  better  things  of  them,  although  we 
know,  that    thick  darkness  covered  the  people." 

One  thing  is  certain,  that  as  the  Romish  church 
became  more  and  more  corrupt,  cathedral  building 
declined,  and  no  subsequent  edifices  eclipsed  those  of 
the  twelfth,  thirteenth,  and  fourteenth  centuries. 

By  the  mechanism  of  our  moral  constitution,  reve- 
rence, when  rightly  directed,  increases  happiness. 
This  emotion  is  called  forth  in  the  highest  degree  by 
the  worship  of  the  Creator.  Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  soul,  mind,  and  strength." 
"  Honour  thy  father  and  mother,  is  the  first  command- 
ment with  promise."  The  sentiment  of  reverence,  it 
is  to  be  feared,  is  too  little  cultivated  in  our  own 
country.  Perhaps  our  civil  institutions  are  detri- 
mental, nay,  almost  destructive  to  high  and  honourable 
reverential  feelings  towards  our  parents,  guides,  and 
superiors. 

Can  we  not  obviate  this  tendency  by  a  careful  cul- 
ture of  religious  reverence  ?  Should  we  not  be  anxious 
to  honour  our  Maker,  with  the  best  gifts  of  the  hands, 
the  highest  efforts  of  genius,  and  the  strongest  affec- 
tions of  the  heart  ? 

Even  should  we  reverence  the  church  edifice  which 
is  consecrated  to  the  worship  of  God,  it  does  not  follow 
that  we  must  of  necessity  be  ignorant  and  supersti- 
tious. 

Who  shall  say  how  often  the  traveller  may  have 
been  taught  to  direct  his  thoughts  heavenward  by  the 


GOTHIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


169 


sight  of  the  distant  tower  or  tapering  spire  ;  how  often 
the  inhabitants  of  a  busy  town  may  have  been  elevated 
in  soul  above  its  din  and  traffic,  by  the  solemn  witness 
borne  by  the  massive  repose  of  its  noble  church,  to  the 
solemn  realities  of  a  world  unseen  ?  While  we  avoid 
the  errors  and  superstitions  of  a  dark  age,  let  us  not  be 
blinded  by  the  false  glare  of  the  present,  to  our  highest 
interests. 

Authorities  for  Gothic  Architecture:  Britton's  Architectural  An- 
tiquities, Pugin's  Specimens  of  Gothic  Architecture,  Denkmaler  der 
Deutschen  Bankhunst,  Dr.  Georg  Mol^er,  Willis  on  the  Architec- 
ture of  the  Middle  Ages,  Loudon's  Architectural  Encyclopedia,  Rick- 
man's  Gothic  Architecture,  Rev.  W.  W  he  well's  Architectural  Notes 
on  German  Churches,  Plans,  Elevations,  6lc.j  oC  the  Church  of 
Batalha,  by  James  Murphy,  Rich's  Engraved  and  Coloured  Calhe- 
drals,  Edinburgh  Encycloj^edia,  British  Critic,  &c.,  &c. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 

The  feudal  system,  which  for  ages  prevailed  in 
Europe,  had  an  influence  upon  the  domestic  architec- 
ture of  that  period.  The  barons  dwelt  in  castles,  often 
strongly  fortified,  their  immediate  retainers  living 
within  the  castle  walls,  protected  by  their  lord,  and 
defending  him  in  case  of  attack. 

The  serfs  erected  their  miserable  habitations  around 
or  near  the  baronial  mansion.  Nearly  every  town  was 
originally  thus  formed,  around  the  castle  of  the  king, 
or  of  the  powerful  barons.  In  Knight's  Progress  of 
Civil  Society,"  towns  such  as  these,  are  thus  de- 
scribed : 

"  Hence  by  degrees  the  embryo  town  began, 

As  wants  or  habits  formed  its  artless  plan  ; 

The  increasing  numbers  part  the  chosen  spot, 

And  each  with  rival  toil  adorns  his  lot, 

Extends  his  little  hut,  and  clears  around, 

The  obtruding  thorns  and  brambles  from  the  ground ; 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


171 


• 

Brings  from  the  shattered  tree  the  ponderous  beam, 
With  thatch  of  reeds,  and  rushes  from  the  stream  ; 
Constructs  with  rude  design  the  simple  shed, 
From  rains  and  tempest  to  protect  his  head ; 
The  walls  with  bark  and  pliant  wattle  weaves, 
And  spreads  his  easy  couch  of  withered  leaves." 

Such  temporary  huts  were  the  only  shelter  for  the 
poor  degraded  serfs,  who  cultivated  the  soil  for  their 
liege  lord,  reaping  for  themselves  only  the  bare  neces- 
saries that  prolong  a  wretched  existence. 

The  formidable  strongholds  of  the  chieftains,  who  in 
the  feudal  days  were  engaged  in  almost  perpetual  war- 
fare, served  the  treble  purpose  of  dwelling-liouse,  fort, 
and  prison.  Every  reader  of  history  or  of  romance, 
will  be  reminded  of  the  donjons  (dungeons)  dark,  of 
these  moated  castles.  In  the  erection  of  these  edifices, 
strength  was  the  first  object  of  consideration.  A  rocky 
eminence  was  usually  chosen  for  the  site ;  if  possible, 
surrounded  by  the  sea  on  all  sides  but  one,  sometimes 
entirely  insulated.  There,  perched  proudly  like  a 
falcon's  nest  on  the  summit  of  an  inaccessible  rock, 
the  frowning  towers  and  battlements  of  stone  bade 
defiance  to  the  attacks  of  foes,  and  the  storms  of  cen- 
tu  ries. 

When  such  a  strong  natural  position  could  not  be 
obtained,  a  deep  ditch  was  formed  around  the  whole 
outer  wall,  which  was  called  the  moat,  and  was  gene- 
rally filled  with  water ;  over  this  was  thrown  a  draw- 
bridge.   A  large  area  w*as  sometimes  thus  walled  in, 

« 


172  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 

• 

and  entered  only  at  one  opening,  which  was  a  great 
gateway  with  a  portcullis,  between  two  lofty  towers. 
In  this  area,  stood  the  castle  itself,  varying  in  size  and 
form  to  suit  the  wealth  and  convenience  of  its  lord. 
Such  was  the  general  style  of  building  throughout 
Europe  during  the  prevalence  of  the  feudal  system. 


THE  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE  OF  ENGLAND. 

FROM  THE  FIFTH  CENTUKY  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY. 

When  the  Saxons  first  landed  in  Britain,  they  must 
have  found  many  Roman  edifices,  which  they  partially 
or  entirely  destroyed.  An  ancient  author,  who  wrote 
as  early  as  a.  d.  560,  says,  "  The  walls  of  all  the  colo- 
nies were  beat  down  to  the  ground  with  battering- 
rams,  and  their  inhabitants  slain  with  the  point  of  the 
sword.  Nothing  was  to  be  seen  in  the  streets,  0, 
horrible  to  relate!  but  fragments  of  ruined  towers, 
temples,  and  walls,  fallen  from  their  lofty  seats,  be- 
sprinkled with  blood,  and  mixed  with  mangled  car- 
casses." It  was  thus  that  the  Anglo-Saxons,  coming 
professedly  as  friends,  at  length  became  the  deadly 
enemies  of  the  Ancient  Britons,  and  finally  subjugated 
them. 

For  a  long  period  after  their  establishment  in  Eng- 
land, their  houses  were  rude  structures  of  timber  and 
mortar,  without  chimneys,  and  with  windows  called 


OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 


173 


in  Saxon  ehthyrl,  literally  an  eye-hole,  destitute  of 
glass,  and  covered  with  pitched  cloth. 

As  the  intercourse  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  with  Rome 
increased,  Christian  bishops  brought  home  artificers, 
and  endeavoured  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  people. 
Under  the  wise  government  of  the  great  and  good 
Alfred,  the  people  began  to  emerge  from  a  state  of 
semi-barbarism,  and  gradually  became  more  intelli- 
gent, ingenious,  and  civilized. 

A  Roman  origin  has  been  ascribed  to  some  ancient 
ruins  of  castles,  which  more  probably  were  Saxon,  as 
they  possess  the  leading  features  of  the  ecclesiastical 
remains  of  that  period ;  namely,  the  semicircular,  com- 
poimd  arch  over  the  doors  and  windows,  with  the  zig- 
zag and  fret  mouldings.  Among  these  ancient  castles 
was  that  of  Peveril  of  the  Peak,  which  has  been 
made  familiar  to  every  English  reader  by  the  genius 
of  Sir  Walter  Scott.  This  castle,  at  Castleton,  in 
Derbyshire,  though  held  by  Edmund  de  Peveril  in 
the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror,  and  from  him 
descended  to  the  hero  of  Scott's  romance,  is  supposed 
to  be  of  Saxon  origin.  "  This  feudal  Baron,"  says  the 
novelist,  chose  his  nest  upon  the  principle  the  eagle 
selects  his  eyry,  and  built  it  in  such  a  fasliion  as  if  he 
had  intended  it  for  the  sole  purpose  of  puzzling  pos- 
terity." 

There  were  but  few  strong  castles  in  England,  how- 
ever, before  the  Norman  conquest.  William,  and  his 
chieftains,  built  strongly  fortified  castles  in  various 


174 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 


parts  of  the  kingdom.  The  ecclesiastics  too,  lived  in 
great  state,  and  were  themselves  the  principal  archi- 
tects of  the  age. 

Roger,  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  and  Alexander,  Bishop 
of  Lincoln,  lived  in  their  ,  strong  castles  of  Old  Sarum 
and  Newark,  with  large  retinues  of  vassals  and  tenants, 
exciting  the  envy  and  fear  of  the  monarch. 

Within  the  space  of  one  hundred  years  after  the  con- 
quest, it  is  stated  on  the  authority  of  Camden,  that  there 
were  1115  castles  in  England.  The  buildings  of  Eng- 
land at  this  time  were  of  five  classes,  namely  :  the 
castles  of  the  monarchs  ;  baronial  castles ;  monas- 
teries, including  churches,  chapels,  hospitals,  and  the 
dwelling-houses  of  all  orders  of  ecclesiastics,  monks 
and  nuns ;  the  town-houses  of  merchants,  and  their 
warehouses ;  the  mean  hovels  of  artisans ;  the  houses 
or  huts  of  the  peasantry. 

Among  the  most  distinguished  architects  of  this 
period,  was  Gundulph,  Bishop  of  Rochester.  He  was 
employed  by  William  the  Conqueror,  to  direct  the 
building  of  the  Tower  of  London,  about  the  year  1078. 
His  mode  of  building  was  greatly  admired,  and  he  was 
immediately  employed  in  planning  other  castles. 

Of  the  several  castles  built  by  Gundulph,  that  at 
Rochester,  (Plate  XIV.)  erected  about  1088,  is  one  of 
the  finest  remains  of  antiquity  in  England.  A  full 
description  of  this  castle  will  be  sufficient  to  give  the 
reader  a  correct  idea  of  a  kind  of  building,  which  holds 
so  conspicuous  a  place  in  poetry  and  romance. 


OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 


175 


Rochester  Castle  is  built  near  the  brow  of  a  hill,  on 
the  banks  of  the  River  Med  way,  and  its  principal 
tower,  which  is  75  feet  by  72,  is  so  situated  as  to  com- 
mand both  the  river  and  the  adjacent  country.  It  was 
fortified  by  strong  outworks  and  deep  ditches,  and  had 
an  area  around  it,  enclosed  for  the  use  of  the  garrison. 

In  the  construction  of  the  castle,  the  circumstances 
most  manifestly  endeavoured  to  be  provided  for  by  the 
architect,  were, 

1.  The  security  of  the  entrance,  and  the  rendering 
it  magnificent. 

2.  The  protection  of  the  whole  garrison  in  case  of 
a  siege. 

3.  Contrivances  to  mislead  besieorers  with  rcG^ard 
to  the  strength  of  the  castle. 

4.  The  security  of  stores,  and  of  prisoners. 

6.  Easy  conveyances  for  engines  of  war,  into  the 
various  apartments  and  to  the  top  of  the  tower. 

6.  The  means  of  giving  a  quick  alarm  to  all  the 
garrison. 

7.  The  supplying  the  garrison  with  water. 

8.  The  carrying  away  the  smoke  from  the  apart- 
ments. 

9.  The  providing  a  habitation  for  the  lord  of  the 
castle,  both  stately  and  airy,  and  free  from  the  annoy- 
ance of  the  enemy's  instruments  of  war. 

Many  of  these  objects  belong  more  properly  to  mili- 
tary than  to  civil  architecture ;  but  as  the  residence  of 
most  of  the  nobility,  both  of  England  and  the  continent, 


176 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 


were,  during  the  days  of  chivalry,  thus  constr  acted, 
we  cannot  with  propriety  omit  that  part  which  belongs 
to  fortification. 

First,  as  to  the  entrance.  Nothing  can  be  conceived 
more  completely  adapted  to  answer  the  double  purpose 
of  stateliness  and  security.  In  Rochester  Castle,  the 
entrance  was  by  means  of  a  grand  staircase,  which 
went  partly  around  two  of  the  fronts  of  the  castle  on 
the  outside,  and  terminated  in  a  grand  portal,  at  a  con- 
siderable height  from  the  ground.  Before  this  portal 
could  be  entered,  there  was  a  drawbridge  to  be  passed, 
the  pulling  up  of  which  cut  off  all  communication 
with  the  flight  of  steps ;  and  there  was  also  a  strong 
gate  about  the  middle  of  the  staircase,  between  the 
foot  of  it  and  the  drawbridge.  Nor  was  this  the  only 
security ;  for  even  the  grand  portal,  beyond  the  bridge, 
was  not  the  real  entrance  of  the  fortress,  but  merely 
the  entrance  of  a  small  adjoining  tower,  the  whole  of 
which  might  be  demolished  without  any  material  in- 
jury to  the  body  of  the  castle.  Within  this  little  tower 
was  a  sort  of  vestibule,  and  from  thence  was  a  second 
entrance,  (the  real  entrance  of  the  great  tower  itself,) 
through  a  second  portal,  placed  in  the  thickness  of  the 
wall,  which  was  here  about  twelve  feet  thick ;  and  the 
second  entrance,  as  well  as  the  first  portal,  was  defend- 
ed by  a  portcullis  or  herse,  and  also  by  a  strong  pair  of 
gates ;  so  that  there  were  three  strong  gates  to  be  forced, 
and  trvo  portcullises  to  be  destroyed,  before  this  entrance 
could  be  gained ;  and  one  pair  of  gates  was  to  be  broken 


OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 


177 


down,  and  the  drawbridge  at  a  great  height  is  to  be 
retraced,  before  even  the  first  portcullis  could  be  ap- 
proached. 

The  herse  or  portcullis,  was  a  strong  grating  of  tim- 
ber, fenced  with  iron,  made  to  sUde  up  and  down  in  a 
groove  of  solid  stone-work,  within  the  arch  of  the 
portal,  just  as  a  sash-window  does  in  its  frame,  and  its 
bottom  was  furnished  with  sharp  iron  spikes,  designed 
both  to  strike  into  the  ground  or  floor,  for  the  sake  of 
greater  firmness  or  solidity,  and  to  break  and  destroy 
whatever  should  be  under  it  at  the  time  of  its  being 
let  fall.  Its  groove  was  contrived  so  deep  in  the  stone- 
work, that  it  could  not  be  injured  or  removed  without 
pulling  down  the  whole  wall.  For  state,  there  were 
in  the  thickness  of  the  wall,  at  the  second  entrance, 
two  stone  seats  in  large  niches,  for  the  warders,  or  for 
those  who  by  military  tenure  kept  castle  guard. 

Beside  this  grand  entrance  there  was  no  other  of 
any  consequence,  and  indeed  there  was  no  possibility 
of  getting  in  or  out  of  the  castle  otherwise  than  by  it, 
except  by  a  small  sally-port,  or  narrow  doorway,  situated 
directly  under  the  drawbridge,  and  therefore  in  a  place 
where  any  assailants  might  be  easily  annoyed.  This 
little  sally-port  was  at  such  a  height  from  the  ground 
that  it  could  only  be  approached  by  a  scaling-ladder, 
as  it  had  neither  stone  nor  other  fixed  steps ;  for  further 
security,  there  was  no  communication  with  the  grand 
apartments  above,  except  by  a  winding  staircase,  so 

12 


178  DOMESTIC  ARCHITE  CTURE 


narrow  that  it  could  easily  be  defended  by  a  single 
sentinel ;  it  was  also  well  secured  by  strong  doors. 

On  the  ground  floor  there  were  no  windows,  and  but 
few  loop-holes,  and  even  these  were  exceedingly  small, 
not  being  much  above  six  inches  square,  their  struc- 
ture and  situation  being  such  that  no  weapon  could 
possibly  enter  far  enough  to  fall  into  the  apartments ; 
nor  were  there  any  but  loop-holes  above,  where  the 
grand  portals  are  situated. 

The  third  story  of  Rochester  Castle,  contained  the 
rooms  of  state;  and  although  there  were  in  these 
rooms  magnificent  windows,  they  were  placed  so  high 
in  the  apartments,  (which  were  on  that  account  more 
than  thirty  feet  high,)  that  it  was  almost  impossible 
for  any  weapon  to  be  shot  into  the  rooms,  to  do  any 
mischief. 

As  to  the  fourth  or  uppermost  story,  the  rooms  of 
which  were  about  sixteen  feet  high,  there  was  no  need 
of  precaution  in  the  structure  of  the  windows ;  it  had 
therefore,  very  large  ones,  not  far  from  the  floor. 

Curious  devices  of  false  arches  and  solid  round 
towers,  apparently  weak,  were  constructed  in  various 
parts  of  the  castle,  to  draw  the  attacks  of  an  enemy 
upon  the  strongest  places.  The  dungeon  for  the  re- 
ception of  prisoners  was  invariably  attached  to  the  old 
English  castle;  in  Rochester  Castle  it  was  beneath 
the  small  square  tower  adjoining  the  keep  itself  It 
was  entered  by  a  narrow  and  steep  flight  of  steps  in 


OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 


179 


the  wall.  Air  was  admitted  only  by  an  aperture  in 
the  roof,  which  was  secured  by  a  trap-door. 

Windsor  Castle,  in  Berkshire,  the  principal  seat  and 
occasional  residence  of  her  present  Majesty,  Queen 
Victoria,  belongs  to  the  crown,  and  has  generally  been 
occupied  by  the  English  monarchs  from  the  time  the 
first  building  belonging  to  it  was  erected.  It  has  been 
increased  by  successive  monarchs,  until  it  now  occu- 
pies a  space  of  about  a  mile  in  circumference.  An 
irregular  but  connected  series  of  buildings,  completely 
encompass  two  large  courts,  having  a  grand  keep- 
tower  on  a  lofty  mount  between  them.  Around  the 
upper  court  are  numerous  buildings  appropriated  to 
the  royal  family  and  their  retinue.  The  lower  court, 
is  occupied  by  St.  George's  Chapel,  the  deanery  and 
canons'  buildings,  poor  knights'  houses,  seven  towers 
of  different  sizes  and  shapes,  with  otlier  subordinate 
buildings.  On  the  northwest  side  of  the  upper  court, 
are  some  apartments  which  were  built  by  Henry  VII. 
In  them  we  recognise  the  same  Florid  Gothic  with  its 
fantastic  decorations,  that  prevails  in  the  ecclesiastical 
edifices  of  that  age. 

There  are  other  apartments,  built  in  the  time  of 
Elizabeth.  A  chimney-piece,  in  Queen  EHzabeth's 
Gallery  (£ts  it  is  called),  has  an  inscription  which  proves 
the  time  of  its  erection  to  have  been  A.  D.  1583.  The 
ceiling  of  this  room  is  nearly  covered  with  ornamental 
tracery,  very  different  from  the  Gothic,  with  the  em- 
blematic figures  of  the  harp,  rose,  crown,  &c.  Affec- 


180  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 

tation  of  elegance,  and  an  ostentatious  display  of  orna- 
ment, characterized  the  style  of  the  domestic  architec- 
ture, as  welJ  as  the  style  of  dress,  of  the  haughty  and 
vain  Queen.  As  the  peculiar  manners  and  taste  of  a 
popular  monarch  always  produce  a  powerful  effect  in 
regulating  those  of  the  higher  classes  of  society,  we 
shall  find  that  novelties  in  domestic  architecture  have 
commonly  their  origin  at  court,  and  are  thence  pro- 
gressivel}^  disseminated  through  the  country ;  hence, 
we  shall  find  that  a  profusion  of  puerile  ornaments  will 
be  found  in  nearly  all  the  mansion-houses  of  the  Eliza- 
bethan age.*  The  shell-arched  niche,  grotesque 
pilasters,  caryatides,  columns  having  the  lower  parts 
covered  with  carved  foliage,  and  upper  parts  fluted ; 
with  a  jumbled  mixture  of  cherubim,  birds,  and  lions' 
heads,  armorial  bearings  and  mythological  hierogly- 
phics, composed  the  heterogeneous  designs  for  chim- 
ney-pieces, fronts  of  houses,  tombs,  &c.,  during  the 
long  reign  of  Elizabeth. 

To  return  from  this  digression,  suggested  by  Wind- 
sor Castle.  After  the  accession  of  Henry  II.,  it  was 
deemed  expedient  to  destroy  many  of  the  baronial 
castles,  and  to  prohibit  the  erection  of  others,  as  their 
owners,  if  disaffected  towards  the  monarch,  could 
shut  themselves  within  their  impregnable  fortresses, 
and  set  at  nought  his  royal  authority. 

*  These  remarks  on  the  age  of  Elizabeth  are  somewhat  anticipa- 
tory, as  they  refer  to  the  period  when  the  Greek  and  Roman  Archi- 
tecture had  been  revived  in  England. 


OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 


181 


To  the  castle  succeeded  the  spacious  hospitable 
mansion,  embattled  only  for  ornament,  containing  vast 
combinations  of  ill-matched  rooms,  put  together  without 
any  discoverable  principle.  Though  these  mansions 
were  insufficient  to  sustain  a  violent  attack  from  an 
enemy,  they  were  built  with  moat  and  drawbridge, 
tower  and  battlement,  thick  stone  walls  and  numerous 
small  windows. 

Of  these  embattled  mansions,  one  of  the  most  perfect 
and  most  curious  now  remaining,  is  Haddon  House,  in 
Derbyshire,  belonging  to  his  grace  the  Duke  of  Rut- 
land, a  description  of  which  will  serve  to  give  a  correct 
idea  of  the  style  of  that  class  of  buildings. 

"  The  high  turrets  of  this  mansion  stood  proudly 
towerinof  on  a  rock,  in  the  midst  of  thick  woods  and  in 
a  beautiful  situation,  looking  down  on  the  river  Wye, 
which  winds  along  the  valley  at  a  great  depth  beneath. 
It  has  undergone,"  says  Mr.  King,  "  fewer  alterations, 
and  retains  more  curious  vestiges  of  the  residence  of  an 
old  English  baron,  and  exhibits  more  manifest  indica- 
tions of  the  ancient  mode  of  life,  than  any  other  build- 
ing I  ever  saw." 

Haddon  House  consisted  of  a  continuous  range  of 
buildings,  surrounding  two  open  courts.  Both  of  these 
have  embattled  walls,  turrets,  projecting  windows,  &c. 
The  princii)al  court  was  encompassed  by  various  do- 
mestic offices,  or  small  apartments  on  two  sides,  the 
chapel  at  a  corner,  the  ladies'  apartments  on  another 
side,  and  the  great  hall  on  the  fourth.    On  the  left 


182 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 


side  of  the  hall  were  four  large  doorways,  with  high 
Gothic  arches.  The  first  of  these  still  retains  its 
ancient  door  of  strong  oak,  with  a  little  wicket  in  the 
middle,  just  big  enough  to  put  a  trencher  in  or  out ; 
and  was  clearly  the  butler's  station  ;  for  the  room 
within  still  retains  a  vast  old  chest  of  oak,  with  divi- 
sions for  bread  ;  a  large  old  cupboard  for  cheese,  and  a 
number  of  shelves  for  butter.  A  passage  down  steps 
leads  from  this  room  to  a  large  apartment,  which  is 
arched  with  stone,  and  supported  by  pillars,  similar  to 
the  crypt  of  a  church ;  this  was  the  heer-cellar.  The 
second  doorway  is  an  entrance  of  a  long  narrow  pas- 
sage, leading  with  a  continued  descent  to  the  great 
hitchen,  where  are  two  vast  fire-places,  with  irons  for  a 
prodigious  number  of  spits,  stoves,  great  double  ranges 
of  dressers,  large  chopping-blocks,  and  a  massy  wooden 
table,  hollowed  out  into  a  sort  of  basins,  by  way  of 
kneading-troughs  for  pastry.  The  third  doorway 
opened  to  a  very  small  vaulted  room,  which  was  clearly 
the  wine-cellar,  for  when  wine  was  considered  merely 
as  a  cordial,  the  stock  was  not  very  large.  The  fourth 
great  arch  conducted,  by  a  great  steep  staircase,  to  a 
prodigious  variety  of  small  apartments,  which,  from 
their  number  and  situation,  seem  to  have  been  design- 
ed for  the  reception  of  guests  and  numerous  retainers ; 
there  being  others  of  still  inferior  sort  in  the  rest  of  the 
house,  for  servants.  Facing  these  arches,  was  a  large 
carved  wooden  screen  with  two  doorways  which  open- 
ed to  the  great  hall  or  dining-room.    This  occupied 


OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 


183 


the  whole  height  of  the  building ;  at  the  upper  end  was 
a  raised  floor  or  platform,  where  the  table  for  the  lord 
and  his  principal  guests  was  placed.  Over  one  side 
of  the  hall,  and  also  above  the  screen  at  the  lower  end, 
is  a  gallery  supported  by  pillars.  : 

From  the  reign  of  King  Edward  the  First  to  that 
of  Henry  the  Seventh,  the  houses  among  the  middling 
class  of  people,  were  built  of  wood.  They  generally 
had  large  porches  before  their  principal  entrances. 
The  framework  was  constructed  of  timber,  of  such 
enormous  size,  that  the  materials  of  one  house  would 
make  several  of  equal  size,  according  to  the  present 
mode  of  building.  The  common  method  of^giaking 
walls  was  to  nail  laths  to  the  timber  frame,  and  strike 
them  over  with  a  rough  plaster,  which  was  afterwards 
whitened  and  ornamented  with  fine  mortar,  Hiid  ^liis 
last  was  often  beautified  with  figures  of  men  and  ani- 
mals, and  other  curious  devices. 

The  houses  in  cities  and  towns  were  built,  each 
story  jutting  forth  over  the  former  story,  so  that  when 
the  streets  were  not  very  wide,  the  people  at  the  top, 
from  opposite  houses,  might  not  only  talk  with  each 
other,  but  even  shake  hands  together.  The  liouses 
were  covered  with  tiles,  shingles,  slates,  or  lead,  ex- 
cepting in  the  city  of  London,  where  shingles  were 
forbidden. 

Oxburgh  Hall  was  erected  by  Sir  Edmond  Beding- 
feld,  A.  D.  1482,  and  has  ever  since  belonged  to  his 
descendants,  being  now  the  property  of  Sir  Richard 


184  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE. 

Bedingfeld,  Bart.  In  a  turret  projecting  from  the  east 
tower  is  a  curious  hiding-place  in  the  wall.  A  door  is 
formed  of  a  wooden  frame  filled  with  bricks,  (the 
whole  building  is  constructed  of  brick,)  thus  looking 
exactly  like  the  face  of  the  wall.  This  door  turns  on 
an  iron  axle  fixed  across  the  middle  and  inserted  firmly 
into  the  wall ;  by  a  forcible  pressure  on  the  lower  end, 
it  turns,  and  discloses  a  solitary  den,  or  cell,  in  the 
turret.  It  would  never  be  discovered  without  previous 
exact  knowledge  of  its  situation.  Another  hiding- 
place  of  equal  ingenuity  has  been  discovered  beneath 
a  fire-place,  at  Oxburgh  Hall.  "  I  apprehend,"  says 
Lady  Bedingfeld,  ^Hhis  hiding-place  to  have  been 
formed  during  the  persecution  of  Catholic  priests,  as 
many  such  places  are  to  be  found  in  old  Catholic  man- 
sions."* 

The  rage  for  building  in  England,  during  the 
fifteenth  century,  led  to  immense  extravagance.  To 
defray  the  expense  of  their  splendid  and  capacious 
mansions,  noblemen  sold  or  mortgaged  large  estates. 
During  this  whole  period,  farm-houses  and  cottages 
were  mostly  wretched  hovels,  hardly  sufficient  to  pro- 
tect the  poor  depressed  serfs  from  the  inclemencies  of 
cold,  wet,  and  snow,  to  which  the  English  climate  is 
subject. 


*  Britton's  Architectural  Antiquities  of  Great  Britain. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


REVIVAL  OF  GRECIAN  AND  ROMAN  ARCHITEC- 
TURE IN  THE  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY. 

Early  in  the  fifteenth  century,  the  genius  of  clas- 
sic literature  awoke  from  the  long  slumber  of  "the 
dark  ages."  Classic  Art  was  once  more  seated  upon 
her  ancient  throne,  and  northern  taste  was  soon  re- 
duced into  complete  subjection  to  her  imperial  sceptre. 

While  the  Florid  Gothic  was  still  carried  to  luxuriant 
extravagance  in  England,  the  ancient  Roman  Archi- 
tecture began  to  be  studied  by  men  of  genius  in  Italy. 

Fellippo  Brunileschi,  a  Florentine,  of  an  ardent 
temperament  and  much  original  genius,  is  said  to 
have  been  delighted  w4th  the  remains  of  ancient  buikl- 
ings  at  Rome.  From  careful  study  of  them,  he  was 
led  to  imitation,  and  in  the  Cathedral  of  Florence, 
evinced  his  power  of  adapting  the  principles  he  had 
learned  from  ancient  art. 

The  examples  of  his  works  and  the  perusal  of  the 
wTitings  of  Vitruvius,  created  a  general  taste  for  Clas- 
sic Architecture.  These  circumstances  were  prepa- 
ratory to  the  undertaking  which  fixed  the  epoch  of  this 


186 


CLASSIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


revival,  and  gave  to  the  v^orld  a  temple,  v^hich,  in  mag- 
nitude and  variety  of  parts,  far  surpasses  every  Gre- 
cian and  Roman  temple — the  celebrated  St.  Peter's  at 
Rome.  (Plate  XX. )  It  v^^ould  require  a  large  volume  for 
a  full  description  of  this  modern  wonder  of  the  world. 

St.  Peter's  is  situated  on  the  ancient  site  of  the  circus 
and  gardens  of  Nero,  where  that  tyrant  massacred 
numbers  of  Christian  martyrs.  Tradition  says,  that 
the  bodies  of  these  martyrs  were  buried  by  their  faith- 
ful friends,  in  a  grotto  near  the  circus,  and  that  among 
those  who  were  thus  buried  here,  was  the  crucified 
Apostle,  St.  Peter.  In  306,  Constantine  founded  a 
church  over  the  reputed  grave  of  the  holy  Apostle. 
This  edifice  remained  for  eleven  centuries,  when  Pope 
Nicholas  V.,  in  1450,  demolished  it,  and  laid  the  foun- 
dation for  the  present  St.  Peter's.  At  the  death  of  this 
Pope,  the  structure  had  been  elevated  only  four  or  five 
feet  above  the  pavement.  The  work  was  suspended, 
or  made  but  little  progress,  till  the  time  of  Julius  11. , 
who,  in  1503,  employed  the  celebrated  Bramante  to 
carry  on  this  great  undertaking.  This  architect 
formed  the  original  plan  of  the  cupola,  and  caused 
four  stupendous  pillars,  or  piers,  two  hundred  and 
nine  feet  in  circumference,  to  be  raised  to  support  it. 
The  patron  and  the  architect  both  died  and  left  it  in 
this  state. 

Leo  X.  employed  architects  to  carry  on  the  work, 
among  whom  was  the  celebrated  painter,  Raphael 
d'Urbino,  who  strengthened  the  basis  of  the  pillars, 


CLASSIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


187 


which  he  deemed  too  weak  to  support  the  stupendous 
cupola.  Various  other  architects  were  employed  by 
:he  pontiffs  who  succeeded  Leo,  until  at  last,  Paul  III. 
committed  the  edifice  to  the  incomparable  genius  of 
Michael  Angelo  Buonarotti,  who  designed  the  dome 
and  cupola  as  they  now  stand.  He  wished  to  make  the 
front  like  the  Pantheon,  but  death  removed  him  from 
his  labours,  and  the  sublime  idea  was  abandoned. 
Michael  Angelo,  "  left  it  an  unfinished  monument  of 
his  proud,  towering,  gigantic  powers ;  and  his  awful 
genius,"  seemed  to  watch  over  his  successors  for  a 
long  time.  Many  other  artists  were  employed  upon 
this  stupendous  edifice,  until  it  was  finished,  under 
Paul  v.,  by  Carlo  Maderno.  Three  centuries  and  a 
half  this  church  was  being  built;  and  in  1694,  the 
cost  was  estimated  to  have  been  11,000,000  pounds 
sterling,  or  about  49,728,000  dollars  ! 

This  edifice  contains  the  best  specimens  of  design 
of  the  ablest  architects  who  flourished  during  a  period 
in  which  the  revived  Classic  style  was  carried  to  the 
highest  perfection  which  it  reached  in  Italy.  The 
extreme  length  of  St.  Peter's  is  seven  hundred  and 
twenty  feet ;  breadth,  five  hundred  and  ten  feet ;  height, 
from  the  pavement  to  the  top  of  the  cross  upon  the 
cupola,  five  hundred  feet. 

The  magnificent  front  is  entirely  of  travertmo. 
Beautiful  colonnades  of  white  marble,  fifty  feet  high, 
encircle  a  paved  court  in  front,  in  the  centre  of  which 
stands  an  Egyptian  obelisk,  and  on  each  side  a  foun- 


188 


CLASSIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


tain.  These  colonnades  are  finely  proportioned  to  the 
church,  and  form  a  grand  enclosure,  which  serves  as  a 
screen  to  exclude  all  ignoble  objects.  There  rises  the 
lofty  fagade,  composed  of  eight  Corinthian  pillars  and 
four  corresponding  pilasters ;  five  doors,  seven  balco- 
nies, six  niches,  an  entablature  w^ith  its  frontispiece, 
and  an  attic,  terminated  by  a  balustrade,  over  v^hich 
are  thirteen  colossal  statues,  representing  Jesus  Christ 
and  the  twelve  Apostles.  The  columns  appear  small 
at  a  distance,  but  on  a  near  approach  are  found  to  be 
nine  feet  in  diameter,  and  including  pedestal,  base, 
and  capital,  one  hundred  feet  high.  The  great  cUpola, 
and  two  smaller  ones,  (large  enough  for  the  single 
cupolas  of  elegant  churches,)  at  the  sides,  accord  well 
with  the  front.  The  five  grand  doors,  with  marble 
columns  and  entablatures,  open  into  an  immense  porch 
decorated  with  marble  pilasters.  The  central  door  is 
of  bronze,  adorned  with  bas-relief,  representing  the 
martyrdom  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter.  One  of  the 
doors  is  opened  only  on  the  day  of  the  Grand  Jubilee ; 
that  is,  once  in  twenty-five  years,  and  is  hence  called 
Porta  Santa,  or  Holy  Door.  The  columns  of  this  door 
are  of  rare  antique  marble,  and  those  of  the  others  are 
of  violet  and  other  beautiful  marbles.  Nothing  can  be 
more  striking,  than  the  perfect  harmony  and  just  pro- 
portions which  prevail  throughout  this  complicated 
edifice.  When  we  consider  how  many  pontiffs  or- 
dered, and  how  many  architects  planned,  it  is  wonder- 
ful that  the  structure  should  have  kept  its  proportions 


CLASSIC  ARCHITECTURE.  189 

inviolate,  even  to  the  meanest  ornament.  Forsyth,  a 
severe  critic,  has  remarked  upon  the  attic,  the  front,  and 
the  Latin  cross,  as  contrary  to  what  he  calls  "  the 
sacred  unity  of  the  master-idea;"  but  less  acute,  or 
less  fault-finding  critics,  are  willing  to  pass  over  the 
trifling  defects  which  probably  exist  in  some  of  the 
sul)ordinate  parts.  We  now  come  to  the  interior. 
This  is  in  the  form  of  a  Latin  cross,  but  has  three 
naves.  Corinthian  pilasters  of  white  marl)le,  seventy- 
seven  feet  high,  support  an  entablature  around  the 
whole  interior.  Arches,  niches,  statues,  pictures,  gilt- 
stucco,  bronze,  marbles  of  all  colours,  porphyry,  alabas- 
ter, mosaics,  in  short,  all  that  wealth  can  furnish,  or 
art  employ,  have  been  used  in  decorating  this  splendid 
temple.  "  The  nave  is  infinitely  grand  and  sublime, 
without  the  aid  of  obscurity  ;  but  tlie  eye,  having  only 
four  pillars  to  rest  on,  runs  along  it  too  rapidly  to  com- 
prehend its  full  extent." 

Upon  these  stupendous  pillars  reposes  the  incompara- 
ble dome.  This  is  the  concave  of  the  wonderful  cupola, 
planned  by  Michael  Angelo,  one  of  the  boldest  attempts 
of  arcliitectural  skill.  Its  base  is  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  then  it  rises,  with 
its  lantern  and  cross,  about  three  hundred  feet  higlier. 
The  diameter  of  this  dome  is  only  two  feet  less  than 
that  of  the  Pantheon  ;  the  walls  are  double,  (twenty- 
two  feet  thick,)  and  between  the  two  walls  are  stairs 
leading  to  the  hall  on  the  top,  which  seems  from  the 
ground  the  size  of  an  orange,  but  is  in  reality  nine 


190 


CLASSIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


feet  in  diameter,  and  can  hold  sixteen  persons,  at  the 
same  time.  This  staircase  is  lighted  by  small  dormer 
windows,  pierced  through  the  outer  wall  of  the  dome. 
The  cupola  is  decorated  with  thirty-two  Corinthian 
columns,  in  pairs,  between  which  are  sixteen  windows. 
There  are  beautiful  chapels  attached  to  this  mighty 
building,  and  grottoes  and  tombs  under  its  pavement. 

St.  Peter's  nowhere  so  strikingly  unfolds  its  dimen- 
sions, as  on  the  roof  Here  are  houses,  one  might 
almost  say  streets,  occupied  by  various  persons  em- 
ployed about  the  building,  and  in  keeping  it  in  repair. 
Here  rise  four  cupolas,  besides  the  great  cupola,  which, 
seen  from  the  roof,  seems  itself  an  immense  circular 
temple,  ornamented  with  rich  sculpture,  seen  usually 
by  no  eye  but  that  of  the  passing  bird. 

No  architecture  ever  surpassed,  in  effect,  the  interior 
of  this  pile,  when  illuminated  at  Easter,  by  a  single 
cross  of  lamps,  suspended  from  the  centre  of  the  dome. 
All  travellers  dwell  with  enthusiasm  upon  the  glory  of 
this  scene.  Forsyth  exclaims  :  "  What  fancy  was  ever 
so  dull,  or  so  disciplined,  or  so  worn,  as  to  resist  the 
enthusiasm  of  such  a  scene !  I  freely  abandoned  mine 
to  its  illusions !" 

"  But  lo  !  the  dome — ^the  vast  and  wondrous  dome, 
To  which  Diana's  marvel*  was  a  cell — 
Christ's  mighty  shrine  above  his  martyr's  tomb  ! 
I  have  beheld  the  Ephesian's  miracle, — 


*  The  Temple  of  Diana  at  Ephesus. 


Plate  XXI. 


CLASSIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


191 


Its  columns  strew  the  wilderness,  and  dwell 

The  hysena  and  jackall  in  their  shade  ; 

I  have  beheld  Sophia's*  bright  roofs  swell 

Their  glittering  mass  i'  the  sun ;  and  have  surveyed 

Its  sanctuary  the  while  the  usurping  Moslem  prayed. 

But  thou,  of  temples  old,  or  altars  new, 
Standest  alone — with  nothing  like  to  thee — 
Enter  ;  its  grandeur  overwhelms  thee  not. 
And  why  ?  it  is  not  lessened  ;  but  thy  mind, 
Expanded  by  the  genius  of  the  spot, 
Has  grown  colossal. — 

Thou  movest,  but  increasing  with  the  advance, 

Like  climbing  some  great  Alp,  which  still  doth  rise. 

Deceived  by  its  gigantic  elegance — 

Vastness  which  grows — but  grows  to  harmonize — 

All  musical  in  its  immensities  : 

Rich  marbles — richer  painting — shrines  where  flame 

The  lamps  of  gold — and  haughty  domf  which  vies 

In  air  with  earth's  structures,  though  their  frame 

Sits  on  the  firm-set  ground,  and  this  the  clouds  must  claim. 

St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  in  London,  (Plate  XXI.) 
though  inferior  in  size  and  richness  to  St.  Peter's,  is  a 
magnificent  edifice.  The  first  stone,"  says  the  archi- 
tect, Sir  Christopher  Wren,  was  laid  in  1675,  and 
the  works  carried  on  with  such  care  and  industry, 
that  by  the  year  1685,  the  walls  of  the  choir  and  the 
side  aisles  were  finished,  with  the  north  and  south 


•  The  mosque,  formerly  the  church  of  St.  Sophia,  at  Constantinople. 


192 


CLASSIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


porticoes,  and  the  great  pillars  of  the  dome  brought 
to  the  same  height;  and  it  pleased  God, in  his  mercy, 
to  bless  the  surveyor  (architect)  with  health  and  length 
of  days,  and  to  enable  him  to  complete  the  whole 
structure  in  the  year  1710,  to  the  glory  of  his  holy 
name,  and  promotion  of  his  divine  worship,  the  prin- 
cipal ornament  of  the  imperial  seat  of  this  realm^ 

"  Thus  was  this  mighty  fabric,  the  second  church 
for  grandeur  in  Europe,  in  the  space  of  thirty-five 
years,  begun  and  finished  by  one  architect,  and  under 
one  Bishop  of  London,  Dr.  Henry  Compton." 

St.  Paul's  is  five  hundred  feet  in  length,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  in  breadth,  and  its  height,  from  the  pavement 
to  the  top  of  the  cross,  is  three  hundred  and  sixty-six 
feet.  Height  of  the  central  nave  to  the  top  of  the  arch, 
eighty-five  feet.  Height  from  the  pavement  to  the  top 
of  the  interior  dome,  two  hundred  and  eighteen  feet. 

The  Grecian  orders  of  architecture  are  mingled  in 
St.  Paul's.  The  principal  columns  on  the  exterior 
are  Corinthian ;  then  there  are  composite  columns  and 
pilasters.  St.  Paul's  is  decidedly  an  imitation  of  St. 
Peter's,  and  it  is  considered  a  successful  one,  producing 
upon  the  beholder  the  emotion  of  beauty  and  sublimity. 

Brunileschi  and  Bramante,  fully  imbued  with  enthu- 
siasm inspired  by  the  arts  of  the  ancients,  of  which 
they  had  so  many  examples  before  them  that  are 
lost  to  us,  established  a  style,  as  perfectly  pure  and 
consistent  in  all  its  parts,  as  it  was  distinct  from  either 
the  Gothic  or  all  that  we  know  of  the  Roman.  This 


CLASSIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


193 


was  the  style  called  the  cinquecento.  With  all  the 
great  models  of  antiquity  before  them,  these  great 
architects  only  took  such  features  as  were  in  accordance 
with  the  buildings  they  erected ;  they  were  not  seduced 
by  the  splendour  of  those  noble  columns,  with  their 
glorious  acanthus  crown,  to  insert  them  where  they 
were  not  required ;  they  did  not  imitate  the  portico, 
nor  were  they  led  away  by  the  grandeur  of  the  noble 
pediment.  Full  of  the  poetic  feelings  of  the  great 
artist,  their  models  only  served  them  to  form  new  and 
original  combinations. 

The  entrance  and  the  windows  were  made  the  prin- 
cipal vehicles  for  ornament;  and  32 
since  palaces  were  no  longer  re-  \  / 


graceful  windows  of  Bramanti',  is  from  the  Palazzo 
Giraud,  Rome.  (Fig.  32.) 

Their  works  might  serve,  with  some  alterations,  as 
models  for  our  own  times.  Raphael  and  Giulio  Ro- 
mano, painters  as  well  as  architects,  although  they 
adopted  the  cinquecento  style,  reduced  it  to  greater 
severity. 


quired  to  be  fortresses,  the  window 
assumed  its  proper  dimensions, 
and  admitted  that  light  freely  into 
the  apartments  of  a  dwelling, 
which  the  fierce  character  of  ear- 
lier times  had  lont?  oblifred  them 
for  safety,  to  exclude.  The  ex- 
ample in  the  margin,  of  one  of  the 


13 


194 


CLASSIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


Michael  Angelo  introduced  the  first  confusion  into 
this  style,  by  employing  Corinthian  or  Ionic  columns 
with  their  entablatures,  for  supports  of  a  cornice  and 
pediment  abova  a  window.  One  improvement  he 
made  upon  the  cinquecento,  by  the  introduction  of  a 
rich  cornice  as  a  final  crown  to  a  building, — a  feature 
which  Gothic  architects  never  understood;  and  this 
feature  forms  one  of  the  leading  ornaments  in  street 
architecture  at  the  present  day. 

In  France,  a  change  was  effected  from  the  Gothic 
by  the  introduction  of  classical  features,  which  pro- 
duced a  mode  known  as  "la  gout  de  la  renaissance." 
This  style  approximated  to  the  Roman  in  all  its 
features,  and  was  much  admired  afterwards  both  in 
England  and  on  the  continent.  La  Renaissance,^^ 
as  it  is  called,  is  again  a  favourite  among  architects, 
although  considered  unequal  in  purity  to  the  cinque- 
cento. About  the  same  period,  the  first  innovation 
was  made  upon  the  Gothic  in  England,  which  gra- 
dually produced  the  Elizabethan,  which  will  be  more 
particularly  described  hereafter. 

Sir  Christopher  Wren  subsequently  introduced  into 
England  some  works  of  a  domestic  character,  which 
possessed  claims  to  originality. 

In  France  too,  Le  Brun,  the  painter,  designed  some 
buildings  in  what  has  been  termed  the  Louis  Quatorze 
style.  It  is  capable  of  great  richness  of  decoration, 
though  its  ornamental  details  possess  little  claim  to 


CLASSIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


195 


good  taste  or  distinct  meaning.  The  architecture  of 
the  reign  of  William  and  Mary,*  and  that  of  the  reign 
of  Anne,  contained  a  strong  admixture  of  the  taste  of 
the  Louis  Quatorze.^ 

*  Architectural  Magazine,  Vol.  V. 


t 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PRESENT  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE  IN  EUROPE. 


We  shall  not  enter  into  a  minute  investigation  of 
the  present  state  of  the  art  in  Europe  ;  a  few  remarks 
on  this  part  of  our  subject  must  suffice.  "  It  is  pretty 
generally  admitted,  among  those  who  can  boast  of 
freedom  from  prejudice,  that  Paris  outstrips  London  in 
the  taste  and  magnificence  of  its  public  buildings. 
The  Arc  de  Triomphe,  the  Hotel  des  Ministres,  the 
Madeleine  Churchy  and  the  Bourse  (in  Paris),  are  fear- 
ful odds  against  that  strange  pile  of  waste  and  folly, 
Buckingham  Palace,  and  the  National  Gallery  in 
Charing  Cross  (in  London).  There  are  few  French- 
men who  do  not  feel  strong  emotions  of  pride  and 
enthusiasm,  as  he  views  these  monuments,  which,  in 
addition  to  their  individual  interest,  contribute  to  his 
national  glory.  Can  an  Englishman  feel  similar  ex- 
ultation as  he  surveys  the  public  edifices  of  his  capital? 
Undoubtedly  he  can,  if  he  go  back  to  the  days  of  Wren ; 
but  his  food  for  self-congratulation  will  be  small  in- 
deed, if  he  confine  himself  to  the  structures  that  have 
risen  up  in  his  own  day.    The  truth  is,  the  genius  to 


ARCHITECTURE  IN  EUROPE. 


197 


conceive,  the  patience  to  execute,  and  the  mental  cul- 
ture to  value  grand  architectural  designs,  seem  dead 
in  England. 

"The  few  buildings  raised  of  late  years  are  not  only 
deficient  in  the  grand,  but  they  are  for  the  most  part 
built  in  a  style  remarkable  for  its  violation  of  esta- 
blished rule,  and  correct  taste.  Many  of  the  new 
churches  that  adorn  the  streets  of  the  British  metro- 
polis vie  with  each  other  in  curious  absurdity. 

"  One  of  the  most  important  principles  in  architect- 
ure, is,  that  a  building  should  be  adapted  in  its  form  and 
internal  economy  to  its  uses,  and  harmonize  in  its  orna- 
ments with  the  spirit  of  its  destination.  Yet  how 
utterly  has  it  been  lost  sight  of,  in  the  construction  of 
those  modern  churches  !  If  an  extravagantly  grotesque 
and  ludicrous  exterior  be  adapted  to  the  solemnity  of 
such  duties  as  are  performed  within  their  walls,  their 
architects  have  succeeded  marvellously  well ;  if  the 
internal  arrangement  of  our  churches  should  be  such 
that  a  large  portion  of  those  assembled  within  them,  to 
listen  to  the  word  of  God,  hear  no  more  of  it  than  they 
would  in  a  Turkish  mosque,  then  the  designers  are 
admirable  artists. 

"  But  we  are  told,  these  are  imitations  from  the  an- 
tique ;  they  are  copied  from  structures  that  have  borne 
the  brunt  of  critical  severity  for  ages.  True,  they  are 
imitations,  but  in  this  is  *  the  very  head  and  front  of 
their  offending.'  Can  it  rationally  be  supposed,  that 
the  light,  airy  style  of  architecture  which  suited  the 


198 


PRESENT  STATE  OF 


cloudless  sky,  and  burning  sun  of  Greece,  should  be 
fitted  for  the  eternal  rain,  and  the  harsh  clouds  of  a 
northern  land  ?  This  want  of  keeping  between  the 
character  of  the  architecture,  and  the  physical  condi- 
tion of  the  country  is,  perhaps,  its  gravest  fault. 

We  shall  not  stop  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  the 
architectural  degeneracy  in  England,  (we  believe  its 
existence  a  fact  that  cannot  have  escaped  the  notice  of 
the  most  dull-witted  philanderer  of  the  streets  of  Lon- 
don,) nor  to  refute  the  ingenious,  but  sophistical  reason- 
ing of  a  London  periodical,  which  attributes  it  to  the 
vitiating  influence  of  the  aristocracy.  But  without 
ascribing  undue  weight  to  the  masses,  we  may  venture 
to  predict,  that  so  long  as  popular  indifference  on  the 
subject  exists,  the  architecture  of  the  metropolis  will 
pursue  its  downward  course  to  insignificance.  It  is 
by  an  appeal  to  the  people,  that  the  removal  of  the  evil 
is  to  be  hoped  for."* 

Great  efforts  are,  however,  being  made  at  present  in 
England,  to  effect  improvement  in  the  art.  A  writer 
in  the  Westminster  Review,  Vol.  XL.,  in  an  able 
article,  entitled  "  Practical  Considerations  for  the  Pro- 
motion of  British  Architecture,"  remarks  as  follows  : 

"  We  rejoice  to  notice  the  disposition  evinced  in  the 
higher  classes  to  extend  the  cultivation  of  the  Pine 
Arts  among  all  classes  of  people,  by  means  of  national 
education.    This  is  beginning  at  the  right  end.  In 


*  Edinburgh  Magazine. 


ARCHITECTURE  IN  EUROPE. 


199 


the  useful  arts  we  have  not  our  equals;  but  set  a 
country  carpenter  to  sketch  a  plan  for  a  rustic  lodge, 
and  the  result  would  scarcely  be  a  production  which  a 
native  of  New  Zealand  could  not  excel. 

"  Great  opposition  has  been  made  in  the  majority  of 
our  free  schools  to  the  introduction  of  drawing  classes 
for  teaching  the  elementary  principles  of  design.  Ig- 
norant persons  suppose  they  are  required  only  as 
accomplishments  unsuitable  for  the  poor ;  but  who  can 
calculate  the  influence  upon  the  progress  of  a  national 
architecture,  from  conferring  upon  every  poor  lad  the 
ability  to  sketch  a  picturesque  cottage,  such  as  he 
might  one  day  be  able  to  build  for  himself,  as  an  im- 
provement upon  his  father's  cabin  ?  And,  after  ^11, 
how  small,  comparatively,  is  the  effect  produced  upon 
the  general  aspect  of  a  country  by  a  few  elegant  villas 
or  mansions,  although  erected  in  the  most  correct 
taste !  For  any  one  of  these,  we  see,  perhaps,  fifty 
small  houses  springing  up  almost  in  a  night  for  work- 
ing men  and  humble  tradesmen,  possessing  no  one 
architectural  feature  upon  which  the  eye  can  rest  with 
pleasure.  We  must  change  the  character  of  these 
structures,  before  we  can  boast  of  a  national  archi- 
tecture." 

The  Church  Extension  Society  has  done  much 
towards  improving  ecclesiastical  edifices.  All  over 
England,  churches,  most  of  them  in  the  Gothic  style, 
have  been  recently  erected.  The  new  church  at  Rei- 
gate,  Surrey,  is  a  fair  specimen  of  these  modern  Gothic 


200 


PRESENT  STATE  OF 


structures.  The  octagonal  tower  and  spire  are  remark- 
able for  simplicity  and  lightness.  The  church  is  in 
all  respects  most  substantially  built.  Throughout  the 
building,  the  architect  has  adopted,  for  the  most  part, 
the  forms  which  began  to  prevail  early  in  the  fifteenth 
century.  (Plate  XXII.) 

The  people  of  England  are  manifesting  at  present 
great  interest  in  public  schools, — parish  schools  espe- 
cially. They  are  improving  their  school-houses  in 
convenience  and  beauty.  The  writer  last  quoted  says 
the  rage  for  the  Elizabethan  style  is  such,  that  if  a 
school-house  were  not  erected  in  this  style,  it  would 
with  many  persons  go  far  to  prove  that  the  Bible 
was  not  taught  there."  He  gives  as  one  of  the  most 
pleasing  structures  of  these  fashionable  Elizabethan 
school-houses,  one  of  the  Brompton  schools.  Judging 
from  the  exterior,  the  interior  arrangement  might  be 
rendered  very  convenient.  "  The  architecture  of  the 
period  of  Elizabeth  has  strictly  no  style  of  its  own. 
But  by  Elizabethan  forms  are  generally  understood 
those  which  began  to  prevail  in  the  century  preceding 
the  Reformation  and  the  dissolution  of  the  monasteries 
by  Henry  YIII.,"  belonging  to  what  correctly  should 
be  called  the  early  Tudor  style,  or  Perpendicular 
Pointed  Gothic. 

In  Germany  architecture  has  become  a  regal  amuse- 
ment, at  least  we  infer  the  fact,  from  the  following 
description  of  the  Palace  of  the  King  of  Bavaria,  at 
Munich. 


ARCHITECTURE  IN  EUROPE. 


201 


"  The  exterior  of  the  building  is  plain,  but  has  an 
air  of  grandeur  even  from  its  simplicity  and  uniformity. 
It  reminds  me  of  Sir  Philip  Sidney's  beautiful  descrip- 
tion. '  A  house  built  of  fair  and  strong  stone  ;  not 
affecting  so  much  any  extraordinary  kind  of  fineness 
as  an  honourable  representing  of  a  firm  statdiness  ;  all 
more  lasting  than  beautiful,  but  that  the  consideration 
of  the  exceeding  lastingness,  made  the  eye  believe  it 
was  exceeding  beautiful.'  " 

When  a  selfish  despot  designs  a  palace,  it  is  for 
himself  he  builds.  He  thinks  first  of  his  own  personal 
tastes  and  peculiar  habits,  and  the  arrangements  are 
contrived  to  suit  his  exclusive  propensities. 

Thus,  for  Nero's  overwhelming  pride,  no  height,  no 
space,  could  suffice,  so  he  built  his  "  Golden  House" 
upon  a  scale  which  obliged  its  next  possessor  to  pull  it 
to  pieces,  as  only  fit  to  lodge  a  Colossus.  George  the 
Fourth  had  a  predilection  for  low  ceilings,  so  all  the 
future  inhabitants  of  Pimlico  Palace  must  endure 
suffocation.  The  commands  which  the  King  of  Ba- 
varia gave  De  Klenze,  (the  architect,)  were  in  a  dif- 
ferent spirit.  "  Build  me  a  palace,  in  which  nothing 
within  or  without  shall  be  of  transient  fashion  or 
interest ;  a  palace  for  my  posterity  and  my  people,  as 
well  as  myself;  of  which  the  decorations  shall  be 
durable  as  well  as  splendid,  and  shall  appear  one  or 
two  centuries  hence  as  pleasing  to  the  eye  and  taste 
as  they  do  now."    "Upon  this  principle,"  said  De 


202 


PRESENT  STATE  OF 


Klenze,  looking  round,  "  I  designed  what  you  now 
see." 

On  the  first  floor  are  the  apartments  of  the  king  and 
queen,  all  facing  the  south ;  a  parallel  range  of  apart- 
ments behind,  contains  accommodations  for  the  ladies 
of  honour,  chamberlains,  &c. ;  a  grand  staircase  on 
the  east  leads  to  the  apartments  of  the  king,  another 
on  the  west  to  those  of  the  queen,  the  two  suites  of 
apartments  uniting  in  the  centre.  All  the  chambers 
allotted  to  the  king's  use  are  painted  with  subjects 
from  the  Greek  poets,  and  those  of  the  queen  from  the 
German  poets. 

We  began  with  the  king's  apartments.  The  stair- 
case is  beautiful,  but  simple,  consisting  of  a  flight  of 
wide,  broad  steps  of  the  native  marble ;  there  is  no  gild- 
ing; the  ornaments  on  the  ceiling  represent  the  dif- 
ferent arts  and  manufactures  carried  on  in  Bavaria. 
Over  the  door  which  opens  into  the  apartments,  is  the 
king's  motto,  "Just  and  Firm."  Two  caryatides 
support  the  entrance ;  these  figures  are  colossal. 

1.  The  first  antechamber^  is  decorated  with  great 
simplicty. 

2.  The  second  antechamber,  is  less  simple  in  its  de- 
coration. The  frieze  around  the  top  of  this  chamber 
is  about  three  feet  wide,  and  represents  the  Theogony, 
the  wars  of  the  Titans,  &c.,  from  Hesiod.  The  figures 
are  in  outline  and  tinted,  but  without  relief,  in  the 
manner  of  some  of  the  ancient  Greek  paintings  on 
vases. 


ARCHITECTURE  IN  EUROPE. 


203 


3.  A  saloon  or  reception-room,  for  those  who  are  to 
be  presented  to  the  king.  On  this  room,  which  is  in 
a  manner  public,  the  utmost  luxury  of  decoration  is  to 
be  expended,  but  it  is  yet  unfinished. 

4.  The  throne-room.  The  decorations  of  this  room 
combine  in  an  extraordinary  degree,  the  utmost  splen- 
dour with  the  utmost  elegance.  The  whole  is  adorned 
with  bas-reliefs  in  white  stucco,  raised  upon  a  ground 
of  dead  gold.  The  gilding  of  this  room  alone,  cost 
72,000  florins. 

5.  A  saloon  or  antechamber.  The  ceiling  and  walls 
admirably  painted,  from  the  tragedies  of  ^schylus. 

6.  The  king's  study ;  painted  with  subjects  from 
Sophocles.  In  the  arch  at  one  end  of  this  room  are 
seven  compartments,  in  which  are  inscribed,  in  gold 
letters,  the  sayings  of  the  seven  Greek  sages. 

7.  The  king's  dressing-room.  Painted  with  subjects 
from  Aristophanes. 

8.  The  king's  bed-room. 

No  description  could  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
endless  variety  and  graceful  and  luxuriant  ornament, 
harmonizing  with  various  subjects  and  the  purpose  of 
each  room,  and  lavished  on  the  walls  and  ceilings  even 
to  infinitude. 

The  (peen's  apartments  are  equally  numerous,  rich, 
and  beautiful. 

The  dining-room  is  exceedingly  elegant.  Now  it 
must  be  remembered  that  these  seventeen  rooms  form 
the  domestic  apartments  of  the  royal  family ;  and  mag- 


204 


PRESENT  STATE  OF 


nificent  as  they  are,  a  certain  elegance,  cheerfulness, 
and  propriety  has  been  more  consulted  than  parade 
and  grandeur ;  but  on  the  ground  floor,  there  is  a  suite 
of  state  apartments,  prepared  for  the  reception  of 
strangers  on  great  and  festive  occasions,  and  these  ex- 
cited my  admiration  wme  than  all  the  rest  together. 
This  suite  of  apartments  is  ornamented  with  a  series 
of  splendid  paintings  in  fresco,  the  subjects  of  which 
are  taken  from  a  German  epic  poem  called  the  Nibe- 
lungen  Lied.  The  walls  of  the  apartments  are  im- 
mensely high,  and  upon  the  sides  and  ceilings  ample 
space  is  left  for  these  splendid  paintings. 

The  unfinished  chapel  adjoining  the  new  palace  re- 
minded me,  in  the  general  effect,  of  the  interior  of  St. 
Mark's,  at  Venice ;  but  of  course  the  details  are  exe- 
cuted in  a  grander  feeling  and  in  a  much  higher  style 
of  art.  The  pillars  are  of  the  native  marble,  and  the 
walls  will  be  covered  with  a  kind  of  Mosaic  of  various 
marbles,  intermixed  with  ornaments  in  rehef,  in  gild- 
ing and  in  colours — all  combined  and  harmonizing 
together.  The  ceiling  is  formed  of  two  large  domes, 
or  cupolas. 

I  learn  that  the  king's  passion  for  building,  and  the 
forced  encouragement  given  to  the  enlargement  and 
decoration  of  his  capital,  have  been  carried  to  an  excess, 
and,  like  all  extremes,  has  proved  mischievous,  at  least 
for  the  time.  He  has  rendered  it  too  much  a  fashion 
among  his  subjects,  rvho  are  suffering  from  rash  specu- 
lations of  this  kind.    A  suite  of  beautiful  unfurnished 


ARCHITECTURE  IN  EUROPE. 


205 


apartments,  and  even  a  pretty  house  in  the  finest  part 
of  Munich,  may  be  hired  for  a  trifle.    Some  of  these 

new  houses  are  enormous.    Madame  M  told  me 

that  she  has  her  whole  establishment  cui  one  floor,  but 
then  she  has  twenty-three  rooms.  This  is  indeed  the 
extravagance  of  architecture ;  and  it  appears,  after  all, 
from  the  foregoing  description,  that  the  splendour  of 
the  interior  of  German  buildings  is  mostly  produced 
by  painting  and  gilding.  The  immense  size  and  the 
comparative  simplicity  of  the  buildings  prove,  how- 
ever, the  great  superiority  of  the  art  in  Germany  to  its 
present  state  in  England.  It  is,  perhaps,  the  golden 
age"  of  art  in  Germany,  to  which  England  has  not  yet 
arrived. 

No  order  has  yet  been  added  to  Architecture  by 
modern  Europe.  The  three  Grecian  orders,  and  the 
variations  from  them,  called  the  Roman  orders, — the 
Tuscan  and  Composite,  remain  the  sole  established 
orders.  Almost  all  buildings  of  any  pretension  are 
built  accordinjj  to  these  orders,  or  follow  the  Gothic 
style. 

In  Russia,  the  beautiful  Gothic  style  has  never  been 
prevalent.  But  few  traces  of  it  are  to  be  seen  in 
Moscow,  of  a  later  date  than  twenty  years ;  and  there 
is  not  a  single  fine  building  in  this  style  in  St.  Peters- 
burg. 

For  many  years  past,  both  Moscow  and  St.  Peters- 
burg have  been  well  supplied  with  the  most  able 
Italian  architects.    The  numerous  models  they  have 


206 


PRESENT  STATE  OF 


given  of  elegant  taste  and  style,  have  drawn  forth  the 
eulogies  of  travellers,  especially  in  these  capitals  of 
Russia,  two  of  the  noblest  cities  on  the  globe. 

The  GrcBCO-lfalian  style  must  at  first  have  been 
modified  by  the  climate  of  Russia.  But  the  architects, 
having  acquired  the  art  of  counteracting  severe  cold 
by  extremely  thick  walls,  and  excellent  stoves,  were 
left  to  the  free  exercise  of  taste,  as  in  the  more  genial 
clime  of  Italy.  In  these  days,  the  interior  of  the  man- 
sions of  the  nobles  is  so  arranged  that  the  visiter  might 
conceive  himself  at  Rome. 

For  ecclesiastical  architecture,  the  Grecian  style,  mo- 
dified and  ornamented  afterwards  by  the  Italians,  has 
ever  prevailed,  and  still  prevails  in  Russia.  A  few 
exceptions,  of  edifices  which  are  not  reducible  to  any 
known  style,  cannot  affect  this  general  conclusion. 
One  ornament  of  the  Russian  churches,  which  is  al- 
most universal,  has  excited  the  attention  and  curiosity 
of  all  travellers.  We  allude  to  their  bulbous  domes,  or 
domes  of  the  shape  of  an  onion.  Dr.  Lyall  thinks 
these  domes  came  from  the  East,  where  they  are  very 
common  ornaments  at  present,  and  is  of  opinion  that 
their  pagan  derivation  is  extremely  plausible.  The 
learned  doctor's  conjecture  with  regard  to  their  origin 
seems  more  amusing  than  satisfactory.  He  says,  "  The 
Egyptians  worshipped  onions ,  and  perhaps  the  same 
practice  may  have  been  common  among  others  of  the 
oriental  nations;  and  as  it  is  natural  to  elevate  any 
object  to  which  reverence  or  adoration  is  paid,  it  is 


ARCHITECTURE  IN  EUROPE. 


207 


probable  that  onions,  and  these  onion-shaped  bodies, 
may  have  been  placed  upon  pillars  to  receive  homage, 
and  afterwards  were  continued  merely  as  ornaments, 
in  consequence  of  their  agreeable  figure,  and  their 
adaptation  as  the  summits  of  towers ;  and  from  thence 
became  the  embellishment  of  sacred  temples." 

A  popular  traveller  from  our  own  country  writes  of  the 
famous  Kremlin  at  Moscow,  as  follows :  I  had  thought 
of  it  as  the  rude  and  barbarous  palace  of  the  Czars : 
but  I  found  it  one  of  the  most  extraordinary,  beautiful, 
and  magnificent  objects  I  ever  beheld.  Its  high  and 
venerable  walls ;  its  numerous  battlements  and  towers, 
and  steeples ;  its  magnificent  and  gorgeous  palaces : 
its  cathedrals,  churches,  monasteries,  and  belfries,  with 
their  gilded,  coppered,  and  tin-plated  domes ;  its  mix- 
ture of  barbarism  and  decay,  magnificence  and  ruins ; 
its  strong  contrast  of  architecture,  including  the  Tar- 
tarian, Hindoo,  Chinese,  and  Gothic;  all  together  ex- 
hibited a  beauty,  grandeur,  and  magnificence,  strange 
and  indescribable.  The  Kremlin  is  two  miles  in  ex- 
tent, and  is  in  itself  a  city.  I  shall  not  attempt  to 
describe  the  palaces  of  the  Czars.  They  are  a  combi- 
nation of  every  variety  of  taste  and  every  order  of 
architecture,  Grecian,  Italian,  &c.,  &c. ;  rude,  fanciful, 
grotesque,  gorgeous,  magnificent,  and  beautiful."  The 
same  traveller  says  :  I  do  not  believe  that  Rome,  when 
Adrian  reared  the  mighty  Coliseum,  and  the  Palace 
of  the  Csesars  covered  the  Capitoline  Hill,  exhibited 
such  a  range  of  noble  structures  as  the  Admiralty 


208 


PRESENT  STATE  OF 


Quarter,  (St.  Petersburg.)  The  Adniiralty  itself  is 
the  central  point,  and  has  a  facade  of  marble,  with 
ranges  of  columns,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length.  A 
beautiful  golden  (gilded)  spire  shoots  up  from  the 
centre,  towering  over  every  other  object,  and  seen  from 
every  other  part  of  the  city,  glittering  in  the  sun ;  and 
three  principal  streets,  each  two  miles  in  length,  radiate 
from  this  point.  In  front  is  a  range  of  boulevards, 
ornamented  with  trees,  and  an  open  square,  at  one  ex- 
tremity of  which  stands  the  great  church  of  St.  Isaac, 
of  marble,  jasper,  and  porphyry,  upon  a  foundation  of 
granite.  On  the  right  of  the  fa9ade  stands  the  well- 
known  equestrian  statue  of  Peter  the  Great.  The 
huge  block  of  granite  forming  the  pedestal  is  fifteen 
hundred  tons  in  weight." 

The  great  Alexandrine  column,  on  the  other  side  of 
this  splendid  square,  is  described  as  rivalling  those 
magnificent  monuments  in  the  Old  World,  whose  ruins 
now  startle  the  wandering  traveller,  and  towering  to  the 
heavens  as  if  to  proclaim  that  the  days  of  architectural 
greatness  are  not  gone  by  for  ever.  It  is  a  single  shaft 
of  red  granite,  exclusive  of  pedestal  and  capital,  eighty- 
four  feet  high.  The  pedestal  contains  the  simple 
inscription,  To  Alexander  I.  Grateful  Russia." 
Surrounding  this,  is  a  crescent  of  lofty  buildings, 
having  before  it  a  majestic  colonnade,  of  the  Corinthian 
order.  In  the  middle  is  a  triumphal  arch,  which  with 
its  frieze  reaches  nearly  to  the  upper  part  of  the  lofty 
edifice,  having  a  span  of  seventy  feet.    Next,  on  a 


ARCHITECTURE  IN  EUROPE.  209 

line  with  the  Admiralty,  stands  the  first  of  a  long 
range  of  imperial  palaces,  extending  in  the  form  of  a 
crescent  for  more  than  a  mile  along  the  Neva.  The 
Winter  Palace  is  a  gigantic  and  princely  structure, 
built  of  marble,  with  a  facade  of  seven  hundred  and 
forty  feet.  Next,  are  the  two  palaces  of  the  Hermitage, 
connected  with  it,  and  with  each  other,  by  covered 
galleries  on  bold  arches.  Next,  the  stately  Grecian 
Theatre  of  the  Hermitage.  Beyond  this  are  the  bar- 
racks of  the  guards;  then,  the  palace  of  the  French 
Ambassador ;  then  the  marble  palace  built  by  Cathe- 
rine n.,  for  her  favourite,  Prince  Orloff.  This  mag- 
nificent range,  presenting  an  uninterrupted  front  of 
marble  palaces  upwards  of  a  mile  in  length,  is  un- 
equalled in  any  city  of  the  world.'*  Thus  much,  for 
the  present  state  of  architecture  in  Russia. 

In  Italy,  Spain,  and  Portugal,  no  recently  built 
edifices  can  compare  in  beauty  and  magnificence  with 
those  of  former  ages. 


14 


CHAPTER  XVIL 

PRINCIPLES  OF  ARCHITECTURE. 

The  leading  principle  in  Architecture  is  fitness  for 
the  end  designed.  Utility,  convenience,  and  propriety 
are  included  in  the  term  fitness. 

In  order  to  carry  out  this  principle  in  the  erection 
of  any  edifice,  several  things  must  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration; namely — 

To  what  purpose  the  building  is  to  be  devoted. 

How  it  may  be  constructed  at  the  least  expense. 

How^  it  may  be  rendered  strong  and  enduring. 

How  it  may  be  made  beautiful. 

Every  edifice  should  have  a  distinctive  character, 
derived  from  the  use  to  which  it  is  to  be  applied.  For 
example,  in  a  building  for  large  public  assemblies,  the 
main  objects  to  be  gained  are  the  following : 

To  contain  within  a  given  space  the  greatest  number 
of  individuals,  conveniently  placed  for  seeing  and 
hearing. 

That  ingress  and  egress  be  effected  without  difiiculty. 
That  a  free  circulation  of  air  be  enjoyed. 
That  it  be  sufficiently  lighted. 


PRINCIPLES  OF  ARCHITECTURE.  211 

That  it  be  constructed  strongly  and  of  durable  ma- 
terials, that  no  danger  ensue  from  weight  and  pressure. 

If  any  one  of  these  conditions  be  neglected,  the 
building  is  faulty. 

In  every  dwelling-house,  the  main  objects  are  as 
follows : 

That  a  given  number  of  persons  be  accommodated 
with  convenient  apartments  for  eating,  sleeping,  bath- 
ing, &c. 

That  these  apartments  be  rendered  warm  in  winter, 
and  cool  in  summer. 

That  they  be  well  lighted  and  ventilated. 

That  access  to  these  apartments  be  easy  and  con- 
venient. 

From  the  cottage  to  the  palace,  these  are  essential 
requisites  in  every  building  designed  as  a  habitation 
for  man.  In  order  that  fitness  be  complete,  all  the 
subordinate  parts  of  a  building, — doors,  windows,  fire- 
places, staircases,  chimneys,  &c.,  must  be  well  dis- 
tributed and  arranged.  When  a  building  is  thus 
constructed,  the  effect  of  the  whole  will  be,  that  it  is 
fit  for  the  end  in  view. 

But,  in  addition  to  this  kind  of  fitness.  Architecture 
goes  farther,  and  produces  what  is  termed  expression 
of  fitness ;  that  is,  it  gives  a  definite  character  to  every 
building,  so  that  it  appears  to  be  what  it  really  is.  A 
dwelling-house  should  not  be  so  constructed  that  its 
expression  should  be  that  of  a  bank  or  a  state-house  ; — 
a  stable  should  not  resemble  a  dwelling-house  for  man ; 


212  PRINCIPLES  OF  ARCHITECTURE. 

— a  church  should  not  look  like  a  barn — neither  should 
a  barn  be  ornamented  with  Gothic  windows,  battle- 
ments, and  turrets.  A  jail  should  not  have  the  light 
and  airy  expression  of  a  place  of  amusement,  but  a 
heavy,  sombre,  gloomy  expression.  "The  beauty  of 
truth  is  so  essential  to  every  other  kind  of  beauty,  that 
it  can  neither  be  dispensed  with  in  art  nor  in  morals." 
Architecture  has  become  an  ornamental  art  when  ex- 
pression is  thus  given  by  it  to  every  kind  of  building. 

A  church  should  be  characterized  by  noble  and 
sublime  simplicity,  inspiring  awe  and  devotion. 

We  have  no  royal  residences  in  the  United  States, 
but  the  President's  house,  belonging,  as  it  does,  to  the 
nation,  should  have  an  expression  of  magnificence,  in- 
spiring admiration  and  respect. 

A  monument,  designed  to  transmit  to  posterity  me- 
morable events  in  history,  or  the  high  deeds  of  heroic 
men,  ought  to  indicate,  independent  of  its  sculptures 
and  inscriptions,  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  designed. 
A  dwelling-house  should  have  its  peculiar  character 
expressed;  the  city  mansion — the  villa — the  orna- 
mented cottage — the  farm-house,  should  each  befit  the 
station  of  its  occupant,  and  convey  the  idea  of  pro- 
priety, neatness,  and  home-enjoyment. 

When  fitness  for  the  end  in  view,  and  the  expression 
of  appropriateness  are  effected,  a  building  may  be  con- 
sidered complete.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  result, 
and,  moreover,  to  render  it  perfectly  pleasing  to  the 
eye,  it  must  have  proportion  and  a  due  degree  of  orna- 


PRINCIPLES  OF  ARCHITECTURE.  213 

ment.  W\\h.0M\  proportion^  (which,  if  analyzed,  migiit 
be  found  to  result  from  fitness^)  the  richest  and  most 
elaborately  ornamented  building  can  never  be  pleasing 
to  the  eye ;  and  a  building  entirely  unornamented  may 
be  so  perfectly  symmetrical  in  its  proportions  as  to  ex- 
cite the  emotion  of  beauty. 

Proportion,"  says  Vitruvius,  is  a  due  adjustment 
of  the  size  of  the  different  parts  to  each  other,  and  to 
the  whole:  on  this  proper  adjustment  symmetry  de- 
pends. This  is  as  necessary  to  a  building  as  to  a  well- 
formed  human  figure." 

Walls  should  be  proportioned  in  thickness  and 
height  to  the  weight  they  have  to  support ;  windows 
to  the  size  of  the  building ;  columns  to  the  entablature ; 
colonnades  to  the  edifice ;  porticoes  to  the  doorway ; 
height  should  be  in  proportion  to  the  breadth.  If  a 
building  is  one  among  a  row  of  other  buildings,  it  will 
bear  to  be  narrow^  in  comparison  with  its  height,  be- 
cause its  width  does  not  appear,  and  because  it  seems 
supported  by  the  adjoining  buildings.  These,  and 
many  other  things,  go  to  make  up  proportion,  and  pro- 
duce the  impression  of  symmetrical  beauty. 

Ornament  must  be  suited  to  the  general  character  of 
a  building,  or  it  destroys  the  proper  expression.  It 
has  been  questioned  whether  ornament  can  be  beautiful, 
unless  it  convey  the  idea  of  utility.  The  only  utility 
that  we  can  discover  in  many  things,  is  the  pleasure 
given  to  the  senses.  Ornament  in  architecture,  is  not 
always  associated  with  utility,  yet  who  can  doubt  that 


214  PRINCIPLES  OF  ARCHITECTURE. 

it  is  pleasing  to  the  eye  of  taste?  But,  the  ornamental 
parts  of  a  building  must  be  perfectly  symmetrical,  or 
they  do  not  add  to  its  beauty. 

The  different  orders  of  architecture,  have  different 
characters,  requiring  each  its  peculiar  ornaments. 

"  The  Tuscan  is  distinguished  by  its  severity  ;  the 
Doric  by  its  simplicity  ;  the  Ionic  by  its  elegance ;  the 
Corinthian  and  Composite  by  their  lightness  and  gaiety. 
To  these  characters  their  ornaments  are  suited  with 
consummate  taste.  Change  these  ornaments  ;  give  to 
the  Tuscan  the  Corinthian  capital,  or  to  the  Corinthian 
the  Tuscan,  and  every  person  would  feel,  not  only  a 
disappointment  from  this  unexpected  composition,  but 
a  sentiment  also  of  impropriety,  from  the  appropriation 
of  a  grave  or  sober  ornament,  to  a  subject  of  severity."* 

Several  very  important  considerations  render  the 
rectangular  form  most  suitable  for  buildings  in  general. 
Contrasted  with  the  straight  lines  and  right  angles  of 
an  edifice,  the  flowing  and  curved  lines  of  ornaments 
have  a  pleasing  effect.  Such  are  volutes,  foliage,  and 
mouldings.  In  the  earliest  specimens  of  Grecian 
Architecture,  the  exterior  of  buildings  was  but  little 
ornamented ;  the  Doric  order  was  only  relieved  from 
the  entire  sameness  of  straight  lines  and  right  angles, 
by  the  bold  ovolo  that  forms  the  capital.  Sculptured 
figures  of  men  and  animals,  oxen's  heads,  and  vessels 
used  in  sacrifice,  appear  upon  the  metopes  and  pedi- 


*  Alison  on  Taste. 


PRINCIPLES  OF  ARCHITECTURE.  215 

ments  of  Doric  edifices  of  a  later  period.  The  Ionic 
is  varied  with  numerous  flowing  and  curved  lines; 
and  an  exuberance  of  foliage  and  flowers  ornaments 
the  Corinthian.  These  exquisite  forms  complete  the 
beauty  of  a  building. 

A  magnificent  and  appropriate  edifice,"  says  the 
learned  Britton,  "  is  the  noblest,  the  most  important, 
and  the  most  transcendent  work  of  man :  when  nearest 
to  a  state  of  perfection,  it  exhibits  his  genius,  science, 
and  talents,  in  a  proud  and  dignified  point  of  view;  for 
such  a  building  is  the  master-piece  of  human  invention 
and  elaborate  operation." 

The  economy  and  strength  of  buildings  depend 
mostly  upon  the  materials  of  which  they  are  composed : 
these  should  be  chosen  with  judgment,  used  with  care, 
and  put  together  with  skill. 

An  architect  should  understand  perfectly  before  he 
commences  a  building,  what  sum  of  money  is  to  be 
devoted  to  it;  then  he  must  employ  it  in  the  best 
possible  manner.  For  this  purpose  he  must  know  the 
quality  and  force  of  all  building  materials ;  these  are 
stones  of  all  kinds,  (natural  and  artificial,*)  woods, 
metals,  and  cements. 

If  the  means  aflbrded  him  will  allow  him  to  build  of 
granite,  without  sacrificing  size  or  convenience,  he 
would  be,  not  only  unwise,  but  dishonest,  to  build  of 
wood.    Granite,  however,  might  not  be  as  suitable  for 


*  Brick  and  tiles,  may  be  called  artificial  stones. 


216  PRINCIPLES  OF  ARCHITECTURE. 

the  required  purpose,  as  marble  or  freestone.  The 
diversity  of  circumstances,  for  which  an  architect's 
skill  is  put  in  requisition,  will  enable  him  in  time  to 
judge  of  the  resources  of  his  own  country,  and  apply 
them  to  the  best  possible  advantage. 

The  architects  of  this  country,  or  rather  their  em- 
ployers, have  shown  a  great  want  of  true  economy,  in 
employing  perishable  materials  for  large  buildings. 
An  architect  might  better  refuse  to  build  at  all,  than 
to  sacrifice  his  reputation,  by  constructing  a  plaster 
model  for  a  building,  instead  of  a  building,  properly  so 
called.  His  duty  to  himself,  as  well  as  to  his  country, 
demands  that  the  public  edifices  that  he  plans  and 
builds  should  not,  in  the  course  of  ten  or  twenty  years, 
be  in  a  ruinous  condition,  and  the  laughing-stock  of 
the  community.  A  fault  into  which  architects  in 
this  country  are  in  danger  of  falling,  is  affectation. 
An  ostentatious  display  of  simplicity  in  style,  often 
produces  affectation. 

But  a  more  common  kind  of  affectation  arises  from 
a  close  and  literal  imitation  of  a  grand  style  for  ordi- 
nary buildings.  This  has  been  amusingly  described 
by  an  old  writer  as  follow^s :  ''One  builder,  smitten 
forsooth  with  the  beauty  of  the  old  Roman  manner, 
raises  himself  a  house,  having  the  outward  semblance 
of  a  temple  of  some  pagan  god ;  and  to  accomplish 
this  whimsy,  he  shows  a  door  only  in  its  best  front, 
and  it  is  well  if  a  pair  of  windows  is  to  be  seen  in  any 
of  the  others ;  and  these,  mayhap,  so  placed,  as  if  he 


PRINCIPLES  OF  ARCHITECTURE.  217 

were  ashamed  to  show  to  the  passers  by  that  he  must 
have  the  sweet  light  of  heaven  to  enliven  some  pendicle 
of  his  dwelling.  Another,  humbler  withal,  but  equally 
touched  with  the  leprosy  of  affectation,  aping  his 
betters,  must  needs  garnish  his  thatched  grange  with 
battlements.  A  third,  will  so  beplaster  his  mud  walls 
with  griffins  and  lions,  and  stick  crockets  on  pinnacles, 
and  pinnacles  on  juttings,  that  it  were  a  hard  matter 
to  find  a  space  ample  enough  to  write  fool  upon,  in 
letters  no  bigger  than  those  of  the  good  Bishop  Lati- 
mer's Bible.  And  a  fourth,  who,  like  the  mole,  seems 
to  live  in  the  world  without  eyes,  is  contented  to  bur- 
row in  a  house  so  bare  of  becoming  and  seemly  orna- 
ment, that  when  we  behold  it,  we  cannot  stay  feeling 
'  that,  in  truth,  the  affectedness  of  plain  building  is  as 
noisome  as  any  of  the  others.' 

"There  are  some  buildings  which  are  calculated 
only  for  a  distant  view  ;  for  though,  when  beheld  afar 
off,  they  may  please,  yet  no  sooner  do  we  come  up  to 
them,  than  we  discover  them  to  be  greatly  inferior  to 
what  they  first  promised  to  be.  The  spell  is  broken, 
nor  is  it  to  be  renewed  ;  because,  when  we  again  look 
at  them  from  a  favourable  distance,  we  are  aware  of 
the  illusion.  There  is  no  further  any  room  for  imagi. 
ning  beauties  in  store  for  us  on  nearer  examination, 
which  we  already  know  do  not  exist. 

"  The  power  of  architecture,  as  a  fine  art,  manifests 
itself  only  in  sesthetic  effect.  Effect  is  its  alpha  and 
omega.    The  first  requisite  in  the  art,  is  effect;  the 


218  PRINCIPLES  OF  ARCHITECTURE. 

second,  is  effect ;  the  third,  is  effect.  It  is  necessary, 
therefore,  that  an  architect  should  understand  the 
sesthetic  department  of  his  art  thoroughly,  be  master 
of  its  picturesque  power,  and  be  able  to  combine  and 
invent ;  and  also,  that  he  should  be  well  versed  in  all 
that  comes  under  the  head  of  decoration. 

"  Like  the  bee,  an  architect  should  be  able  to  extract 
his  nutriment,  that  is,  the  hyle  or  material  of  his  art, 
from  the  most  varied  sources,  afterwards  concocting  it 
into  something  altogether  his  own.  He  should  study 
not  only  what  is  acknowledged  to  be  beautiful,  but  the 
contrary  also,  and  that  for  a  double  purpose;  first,  that, 
by  understanding  deformity,  he  may  know  how  to 
avoid  it,  and  so  profit  by  the  bad  taste  of  others ;  and 
secondly,  that  he  may  search  whether  there  be  any  latent 
germ  of  beauty  concealed  beneath  ugliness.  Even  as 
the  '  toad  wears  a  precious  jewel  in  his  head,'  so  will 
many  a  barbarous  design  be  found  to  contain  some- 
thing valuable ;  valuable  at  least  to  him  who  knows 
how  to  turn  it  to  account,  and  to  purify  and  exalt  the 
base  ore  into  sterling  metal.  Plagiarisms  of  this  kind 
are  not  only  excusable,  but  glorious ;  they  constitute 
the  triumphs  of  art.  In  such  a  process  lies  its  genuine 
alchemy."* 


*  Architectural  Magazine,  1838. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


QUALIFICATIONS  FOR  AN  ARCHITECT. 

In  order  to  rise  to  eminence  in  art,  genius  is  indis- 
pensable. Bj  study  and  practice,  a  man  of  ordinary 
talents  may  become  a  good  builder ;  he  may  under- 
stand bis  art,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the  necessaries  and 
conveniences  of  life ;  but  something  more  is  requisite 
to  raise  him  to  the  rank  of  an  artist, — on  the  same  level 
with  the  poet,  painter,  sculptor,  and  musician. 

In  ancient  times,  men  of  royal  birth  and  of  noble 
parentage  became  architects.  This  only  proves  the 
estimation  in  which  the  art  was  held ;  they  who  were 
neither  royal  nor  noble  by  birth,  were  raised  by  genius 
to  equal  dignity  and  honour  with  those  who  possessed 
this  adventitious  superiority.  Genius  is  true  nobility. 
In  our  country  we  profess  reverence  for  no  superiority, 
but  that  which  every  man  may  acquire,  by  his  virtues 
and  his  talents.  It  is  ridiculous  pretension  for  a  man 
who  has  had  just  education  and  ''calculation"  enough 
to  scrape  together,  ''  by  hook  or  by  crook,"  some  thou- 
sands or  millions  of  dollars,  to  look  dow^n  upon  the 


220 


QUALIFICATIONS  FOR 


man  of  genius  and  education,  who  plans  his  spacious 
mansion/ adorns  its  walls  with  glowing  landscapes,  or 
lays  upon  his  drawing-room  tables 

"  Thoughts  that  breathe  and  words  that  burn." 

Such  pretension  could  only  be  tolerated  among  a 
people  but  half-refined,  where  Mammon  is  the  idol. 

A  man  who  intends  to  be  an  architect,  should  possess 
ingenuity  and  mathematical  talent,  and  should  receive 
an  education  with  direct  reference  to  the  practice  of 
his  art. 

He  should  be  ingenious.  Without  this  qualification, 
he  might  study  the  works  of  the  most  eminent  artists, 
and  become  thoroughly  imbued  with  a  correct  taste, 
but  he  would  never  be  able  to  apply  his  knowledge 
and  exercise  his  taste  according  to  the  varying  wants 
of  his  own  age  and  country.  A  man  may  have  a  cer- 
tain dexterity  of  hand,  which  will  enable  him  to  per- 
form skilfully  some  work  of  art,  which  another  has 
planned  for  him,  or  given  him  an  exact  model  to  copy ; 
but  he  is  then  only  performing  manual  labour,  and  ex- 
ercising the  one  faculty  of  imitation ;  if  he  can  go  no 
farther,  he  never  will  become  a  complete  artist ;  he  will 
never  produce  any  work  which  will  acquire  for  him  a 
reputation,  for  his  is  not  the  master-mind.  Architec- 
ture, through  all  its  progress  from  infancy  to  perfection, 
is  an  inventive  art. 

An  architect  must  be  practical  He  cannot  live 
in  a  world  of  fancy,  like  the  poet;  he  cannot  copy 


AN  ARCHITECT. 


221 


nature  in  her  loveliest  aspects,  like  the  painter; 
nor  perfect  nature  in  forms  of  surpassing  beauty  and 
grace,  like  the  sculptor.  He  must  render  tasteful 
and  beautiful  that  which  is  essential.  In  doing  this, 
he  must  not  speculate  and  theorize  till  he  has  lost 
sight  of  the  main  object  in  all  his  works,  utility. 
Practical  knowledge  must  make  him  acquainted  with 
all  that  is  best  adapted  to  insure  convenience,  strength, 
and  durability;  and  a  constant  regard  to  the  end  in 
view  prevent  him  from  sacrificing  the  substance  to  the 
shadow — fitness  to  factitious  ornament.  He  must  be 
practical,  too,  in  order  to  gain  respect  and  confidence. 
A  theorist  may  be  expert  in  drawing  plans,  and  fill  his 
studio  with  an  endless  variety,  when  only  one  good 
plan  is  needed ;  his  own  mind  will  wander  amid  this 
variety,  without  being  able  to  make  a  choice.  If  this 
choice  is  at  length  made  by  another,  the  theorizing 
man  has  so  many  alterations  and  additions  to  make  in 
carrying  on  the  work,  that  he  puzzles  and  vexes  the 
men  whom  he  employs,  and  loses  their  confidence,  by 
seeming  to  have  no  plan  at  all  in  his  own  mind.  He 
will  not  be  an  economical  artist.  In  following  out  a 
favourite  theory,  little  regard  will  be  paid  to  expense, 
and  probably,  he  will  not  be  able  to  make  an  exact 
estimate,  as  he  never  knows  when  his  plan  is  fixed ; 
and  besides,  he  has  not  the  patience  to  examine  into 
minute  details. 

A  complete  architect  should  be  thoroughly  educated, 
with  special  reference  to  his  art.  He  should  gain  a 
good  knowledge  of  arithmetic,  mensuration,  geometry, 


222 


QUALIFICATIONS  FOR 


trigonometry,  and  algebra.  He  should  be  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  history  of  mankind  and  the  history 
of  the  arts.  Drawing,  he  should  learn  with  almost  as 
much  eagerness  as  if  he  were  to  be  a  painter.  The 
most  eminent  architects  have  often  been  the  best 
painters  and  sculptors  of  the  age  in  which  they  lived. 
Perspective  and  projection  he  should  carefully  study, 
that  he  may  know  how  a  building  will  appear  from 
every  point  of  view.  A  knowledge  of  mechanical 
philosophy  is  indispensable — chemistry  and  mineralogy 
very  desirable  acquisitions,  that  he  may  know  the  re- 
lative strength  and  durability  of  all  building  materials. 

Beside  these  acquirements,  an  architect  should  have 
his  taste  improved  and  refined  by  poetry  and  classic 
literature. 

"  Proficiency  in  the  French  and  Italian  languages," 
says  Sir  William  Chambers,  "  is  also  requisite  to  him ; 
not  only  that  he  may  be  able  to  travel  with  advantage, 
and  converse  without  difficulty,  in  countries  where 
the  chief  part  of  his  knowledge  is  to  be  collected,  but 
also  to  understand  the  many  books  treating  upon  his 
profession,  the  greater  part  of  which  have  never  been 
translated." 

With  a  due  deference  to  the  genius  of  the  ancients, 
and  a  suitable  admiration  of  their  works,  an  American 
architect  must  possess  the  power  to  adopt  what  is 
suitable  to  our  soil,  climate,  manners,  civil  institutions, 
and  religion,  without  servile  imitation. 

An  architect,  who  would  produce  beautiful  works, 


AN  ARCHITECT. 


228 


must  be  himself  a  severe  critic  upon  his  own  designs  ; 
he  must  admit  nothing  definitely,  without  having  sub- 
mitted it  to  the  most  vigorous  examination.  His  in- 
genuity and  skill  must  not  be  entirely  employed  upon 
the  exterior  for  self-glorification,  while  the  interior  is 
left  inconvenient  and  ill-proportioned.  In  short,  an 
architect  should  be  governed  by  the  strictest  principles 
of  integrity  and  rectitude. 

From  these  few  hints  on  the  qualifications  for  an 
architect,  it  will  be  inferred,  that  his  education  should 
be  commenced  in  boyhood,  with  special  reference  to 
the  noble  art  which  he  is  to  practice.  A  lasting  bene- 
fit would  be  conferred  upon  the  country,  if  some  of  our 
young  men,  as  soon  as  they  evince  talents  for  artists, 
were  regularly  and  thoroughly  educated  for  that  pur- 
pose. Many  young  men,  who  now  make  the  tour  of 
Europe  without  any  definite  object  in  view,  and  with 
little  advantage  to  themselves,  thus  prepared  by  pre- 
vious education,  might  study  the  chef-d^ (Euvres  of  art 
in  the  cities  and  galleries  of  Europe,  and  return  home 
with  correct  taste  and  skill  in  the  Fine  Arts,  and 
moreover,  with  enthusiasm,  which  would  render  them 
admirable  artists. 

A  report  from  the  Select  Committee  on  Arts,  of  the 
(British)  House  of  Commons,  thus  terminates  :  "  It 
will  give  your  committee  the  sincerest  gratification  if 
the  result  of  their  inquiry,  (in  which  they  have  been 
liberally  assisted  by  the  artists  of  this  country,)  tend 
in  any  degree  to  raise  the  character  of  a  profession, 


224 


QU  ALIFIC  A.TI  O  N  S  FOR 


which  is  said  to  stand  much  higher  among  foreign 
nations  than  our  own ;  to  infuse,  even  remotely,  into 
an  industrious  and  enterprising  people,  a  love  of  Art, 
and  to  teach  them  to  respect  and  venerate  the  name  of 
artist." 

On  the  continent  of  Europe,  there  are  Schools  of 
Art,"  where  young  men  are  educated  with  special 
reference  to  some  particular  branch  of  art.  They 
have  nothing  of  the  kind  in  England,  neither  have  we 
at  present  in  this  country.  The  sagacious  statesman 
Burke,  long  since  regretted  this  deficiency  in  Eng- 
land. "If  there  be  any  one,"  says  a  writer  in  the 
Edinburgh  Review,  who,  for  the  most  effectual  pro- 
secution of  his  profession,  requires  the  highest  mental 
cultivation,  it  is  the  artist.  This  would  give  rank  and 
honour  to  the  profession.  The  known  learning  of 
some  of  the  professors  has  already,  we  think,  been 
beneficial." 

In  Bavaria  there  are  no  less  than  thirty-three  schools 
of  Art.  In  France  there  are  about  eighty  schools  of 
Art. 

"  The  School  of  Art  at  Lyons,  originated  in  a  decree 
of  Bonaparte,  dated  from  Warsaw.  Its  object  was  to 
give  elementary  instruction  in  Art,  with  a  view  to  the 
improvement  of  the  silk  manufactures  of  France.  But 
its  field  of  usefulness  has  widened  from  time  to  time, 
and  it  is  now  divided  into  six  principal  departments ; 
1.  Painting.  2.  Architecture.  3.  Ornament,  and 
mise  en  carte,  (which  is  arranging  patterns  upon  paper 


AN  ARCHITECT. 


225 


for  all  kinds  of  fabrics.)  4.  A  Botanical  Department. 
5.  Sculpture.    6.  Engraving." 

These  schools  in  France  are  assisted  by  the  state. 
At  Paris,  60,000  francs  are  yearly  given  to  the  Royal 
School  of  Design.  The  course  of  study  lasts  for  three 
years,  and  the  students  pay  five  francs,  (one  dollar !) 
for  the  first  year,  and  ten  francs,  (two  dollars!)  for 
each  of  the  second  and  third.  The  schools  of  art  in 
Switzerland  are  regulated  in  a  similar  manner.  At 
Geneva  the  students  pay  the  same  as  in  Paris.  Dr. 
Bowring  mentions  that  he  found  a  Chinese  at  Geneva, 
who  had  studied  there  three  years  in  one  of  the  schools 
of  art. 

Why  should  not  such  schools  be  established  in  the 
United  States  ?  If  not  supported,  they  might  be  aided 
by  the  States  where  they  were  instituted.  Like  other 
schools,  they  might  in  time  sustain  themselves ;  but  at 
the  outset  the  expenses  would  be  such,  that  a  grant  of 
money  firom  the  Legislature  would  be  needed,  or  aid 
from  patriotic  men  of  wealth. 

Something  of  this  kind  has  been  attempted  in  the 
Academy  of  the  Arts  of  Design,  in  New  York,  but  on 
a  very  different  plan  from  the  schools  of  art  in  Europe. 

In  our  higher  schools  and  academies,  some  elemen- 
tary instruction  in  art  might  be  introduced  with  great 
advantage  to  pupils  generally.  In  an  enlightened 
and  refined  nation,  every  man  and  woman  should 
know  enough  of  the  principles  of  architecture  to  en- 

15 


226 


QUALIFICATIONS  FOR 


able  them  to  order  their  houses  to  be  built  with  due 
reference  to  comfort  and  good  taste.  ^'  The  prize,  as 
well  as  the  race,  is  set  before  us,"  says  an  able  Ame- 
rican writer,  "  and  we  have  everything  that  can  give 
us  hope.  Whatever  labour  it  may  impose  upon  our 
architects,  to  all  other  persons  the  means  of  success 
are  the  easiest  possible.  We  need  scarcely  more  than 
wish  for  it  (good  taste),  and  it  will  come.  I  will  point 
out  the  way.  The  artist  who  loads  our  edifices  with 
ornament,  or  multiplies  the  parts  more  than  is  neces- 
sary, is  either  ignorant  of  his  art,  or  means  to  slight  his 
work  and  throw  dust  in  our  eyes,  so  as  to  blind  us 
to  its  defects.  Let  us  begin,  then,  with  requiring  sim- 
plicity in  our  buildings.  We  shall  soon  have  it ;  and 
its  immediate  effect  will  be  a  powerful  and  favourable 
action  on  our  taste.  Let  us  look  for  a  moment  at  the 
effect  our  demand  for  it  will  have  on  the  architects 
themselves.  Finding  it  impossible  to  dazzle  or  be- 
wilder the  mind  by  factitious  helps,  they  will  from 
necessity  attempt  beauty  and  power  of  design ;  their 
taste  will  thus  begin  a  course  of  discipline,  and  will 
again  act  on  ours.  Mind  will  continue  to  operate  on 
mind ;  and  then  will  arise  among  us  men  of  pure  and 
lofty  conceptions,  who  will  scorn  all  tricks  of  art,  and 
whose  taste  will  be  content  only  when  it  makes  each 
object  it  touches  an  image  of  itself" 

The  same  able  writer  says  that  an  architect  must 
possess  "a  taste  so  well  disciplined  as  to  be  able  to 
judge  with  instinctive  certainty  as  regards  beauty  of 


AN  ARCHITECT. 


227 


form ;  and  this  taste  must  be  exercised  with  unceasing 
industry  in  combining  such  forms  and  in  trying  their 
combinations.  The  Greeks  were  like  other  men,  and 
came  to  perfection  in  architecture  as  men  have  come 
to  perfection  in  other  matters.  We  err  most  egregiously 
if  we  suppose  them  architects  by  nature,  or  that  they 
gained  their  mighty  power  by  folding  their  hands  and 
waiting  for  hints  in  a  happy  dream,  or  even  by  profuse 
but  idle  admiration  of  the  efforts  of  men  from  other 
countries.  They  took  the  powers  which  nature  gave 
them,  and  hy  unceasing  culture  brought  them  to  the  very 
highest  perfection;  these  they  applied,  and  they  suc- 
ceeded; others  will  succeed  when  they  do  all  this,  and  not 
till  then:' 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


ARCHITECTURE  IN   THE   UNITED   STATES,  FROM 
THE  FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

In  tracing  the  progress  of  the  art  in  the  United 
States,  we  are  upon  almost  untrodden  ground,  where 
only  a  few  faint  footsteps  can  be  discovered. 

Although  the  first  adventurers  from  England 
brought  with  them  the  knowledge  of  the  arts  of  civi- 
lized and  refined  society,  their  situation  for  years  was 
such  as  to  preclude  the  exercise  of  these  arts. 

When  the  first  colonists  of  Jamestown  set  sail  for  a 
harbour  in  Virginia,  a.  d.  1607,  of  the  one  hundred 
and  five  on  the  list  of  emigrants,  there  were  but  twelve 
labourers,  and  very  few  mechanics.  "  They  were 
going  to  a  wilderness,  in  which  as  yet  not  a  house  was 
standing,  and  there  were  forty-eight  gentlemen  to  four 
carpenters."  Their  first  employment  was  to  fell  tim- 
ber for  the  erection  of  places  of  shelter,  houses  they 
could  scarcely  be  termed.  They  might  have  received 
some  hints  for  their  rude  architecture  from  the  im- 
perial residence  of  Powhatan.*    Captain  Newport, 

*  This  native  chieftain  has  been  styled  the  "  Emperor  of  the  Country." 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


229 


Captain  John  Smith,  and  twenty  other  colonists,  soon 
after  their  landing  at  Jamestown,  visited  the  principal 
residence  of  this  renowned  chieftain,  near  the  site  of 
the  present  city  of  Richmond ;  it  consisted  of  twelve 
wigwams. 

As  might  have  been  expected  from  the  predominance 
of  gentlemen  over  working-men,  the  colony  was  soon 
in  a  miserable  condition.  At  first  they  were  all  com- 
pelled to  labour  ;  as  Captain  John  Smith  says,  "  Now 
falleth  every  man  to  worke ;  the  Councell  contrive  the 
fort,  the  rest  cut  down  trees  to  make  place  to  pitch 
their  tents ;  some  provide  clapboard  to  relode  the  ships, 
some  make  gardens,  some  nets,  &c. ;"  but  soon  they 
became  exceedingly  idle. 

Various  calamities  beset  the  colonists.  Not  long 
after  they  were  established,  an  accidental  fire  destroyed 
nearly  the  whole  of  Jamestown.  Smith  says,  The 
towne,  which  being  but  thatched  with  reeds,  the  fire 
was  so  fierce  as  it  burnt  their  pallisados,  (though 
eight  or  ten  yards  distant,)  with  their  armes,  bedding, 
apparell,  and  much  private  provision.  Good  Master 
Hunt,  our  preacher,  lost  all  his  liberary,  and  all  he  had 
but  the  cloathes  on  his  backe ;  yet  none  never  heard 
him  repine  at  his  losse.  This  happened  in  the  winter, 
in  that  extreme  frost,  1607." 

Famine  followed,  and  continued  dread  of  their 
savage  foes. 

Their  scanty  provisions  had  become  spoiled  on  the 
long  voyage.  "  Our  drink,"  say  they,  "  was  unwhole- 
some water ;  our  lodgings,  castles  in  the  air."  Despair 


230 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


of  mind  ensued  ;  so  that,  in  less  than  a  fortnight  after 
the  departure  of  the  homeward-bound  fleet,  hardly  ten 
of  them  were  able  to  stand ;  the  labour  of  completing 
some  simple  fortifications  was  exhausting;  and  no 
regular  crops  could  be  planted.  During  the  summer, 
there  were  not  on  any  occasion  five  able  men  to  guard 
the  bulwarks.  The  fort  was  filled  in  every  corner 
with  the  groans  of  the  sick,  whose  outcries  night  and 
day  for  six  weeks,  rent  the  hearts  of  those  who  could 
minister  no  relief* 

Disunion  and  strife  among  the  colonists,  completed 
the  scene  of  misery.  Nothing  but  the  favour  of  God, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  brave  and  enterpris- 
ing Smith,  saved  the  colony  from  entire  destruction.! 

It  was  a  long  time  before  sad  experience  taught  the 
mother  country  the  necessity  of  sending  colonists 
who  were  hardy  men,  skilled  in  mechanical  arts,  and 
accustomed  to  labour. 

"  When  you  send  againe,"  wrote  the  indefatigable 
Smith,  rather  send  but  thirty  carpenters,  husband- 
men, gardeners,  fishermen,  blacksmiths,  masons,  and 
diggers-up  of  trees-roots,  well  provided,  than  a  thousand 
such  as  we  have ;  for  except  wee  be  able  both  to  lodge 
them,  and  feed  them,  the  most  will  consume  with 
want  of  necessaries,  before  they  can  be  made  good  for 
anything." 

*  Bancroft. 

t  His  friend,  the  youthful  Pocahontas,  who  saved  his  life,  is  called 
by  one  of  the  early  historians,  the  Numparell  (nonpareil)  of  Virginia. 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE.  231 

Thus,  struggling  with  ten  thousand  difficulties,  the 
indomitable  spirit  of  Smith  at  length  succeeded  in 
placing  the  colony  upon  a  firm,  enduring  foundation. 
The  gentlemen,  compelled  by  stern  necessity,  could 
wield  the  axe  like  accomplished  wood-cutters ;  for  after 
two  years  of  disasters,  it  was  enacted  as  a  law,  "  That 
if  any  man  would  not  work,  neither  should  he  eat." 

But  like  most  public  benefactors.  Smith  was  sorely 
beset  by  enemies ;  notwithstanding  his  entreaties  for 
efficient  colonists,  they  continued  to  send  broken-down 
tradesmen,  dissolute  gallants,  &c.,  men  more  fitted  to 
corrupt,  than  to  found  a  commonwealth.  These  gave 
him  infinite  trouble,  yet  he  resolutely  maintained 
authority  over  them.  At  last  an  accidental  explosion 
of  gunpowder  disabled  him,  by  inflicting  wounds, 
which  the  surgical  skill  of  Virginia  could  not  relieve. 
Delegating  his  authority  to  Percy,  he  embarked  for 
England.  Extreme  suffering  from  his  wounds,  and 
the  ingratitude  of  his  employers,  were  the  fruits  of  his 
services.  He  received  for  his  sacrifices  and  his  perilous 
exertions,  not  one  foot  of  land,  not  the  house  he  himself 
had  built,  not  the  field  his  own  hands  had  planted,  nor 
any  reward  but  the  applause  of  his  conscience,  and  the 
world.*  Smith  at  his  departure  left  more  than  four 
hundred  and  ninety  persons  in  the  colony;  in  six 
months,  indolence,  vice,  and  famine,  reduced  the  num- 
ber to  sixty. 

The  arrival  of  Lord  Delaware,  in  June,  1610,  saved 


*  Bancroft. 


232 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


the  colony  from  entire  destruction.  "It  was,"  says 
the  elegant  historian  of  the  United  States,  "  it  was  on 
the  tenth  day  of  June,  that  the  restoration  of  the  colony 
was  solemnly  begun  by  supplications  to  God.  After 
the  solemn  exercises  of  religion.  Lord  Delaware  caused 
his  commission  to  be  read ;  a  consultation  was  imme- 
diately held  on  the  good  of  the  colony,  and  its  govern- 
ment was  organized  with  mildness  but  decision.  The 
evils  of  faction  were  healed  by  the  unity  of  the  adminis- 
tration, and  the  colonists,  excited  by  mutual  emulation, 
performed  their  tasks  with  alacrity. 

At  the  beginning  of  each  day  they  assembled  in  the 
little  church,  which  was  kept  neatly  trimmed  with  the 
wild  flowers  of  the  country  ;  next  they  returned  to  their 
houses  to  receive  their  allowance  of  food.  The  settled 
hours  of  labour,  were  from  six  in  the  morning  till  ten, 
and  from  two  in  the  afternoon  till  four.  The  houses 
were  warm  and  secure,  covered  above  with  strong 
boards,  and  matted  on  the  inside,  after  the  fashion  of 
the  Indian  wigwams." 

Blessed  little  church  in  the  wilderness  !  Would  that 
we  could  minutely  describe  that  rude  structure,  de- 
corated with  wild  flowers,  the  first  edifice  erected  to 
the  worship  of  God  in  the  United  States!  There, 
prayer  and  praise  daily  ascended  to  the  Almighty, 
and  thus  was  a  permanent  foundation  laid,  for  the 
noble  State  of  Virginia. 

When  afterwards  Sir  Thomas  Gates,  a.  d.  1611, 
assumed  the  government  of  the  colony,  and  employed 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


233 


religion  as  the  foundation  of  order  and  of  laws, 
"  Good,"  said  the  colonists,  are  the  beginnings  where 
God  thus  leads." 

Gates  built  a  new  town,  and  called  it  Henrico.  He 
environed  it  with  a  palisado;  then  he  built  at  each 
corner  of  the  town,  a  high  commanding  watch-house ; 
then  a  church  and  store-houses ;  which,  being  finished, 
he  began  to  thin^  upon  convenient  houses  for  himself 
and  men,  which,  with  all  possible  speed  he  could,  he 
eifected,  to  the  great  content  of  his  company  and  all 
the  colony." 

Here  then,  was  the  first  regularly  built  town  in  the 
United  States.  "It  hath,"  says  the  quaint  old  his- 
torian, three  streets  of  well-framed  houses,  a  hand- 
some church,  and  the  foundation  of  a  better  laid,  to 
bee  built  of  bricke,  besides  store-houses,  watch-houses, 
and  the  like." 

Jamestown,  at  this  time,  is  described  as  having  "  two 
rows  of  houses  of  framed  timber,  and  some  of  them  two 
stories  and  a  garret  higher,  and  three  large  store- 
houses joined  together  in  length."    This  was  in  1611. 

Thus  we  see,  from  what  humble  beginnings,  the 
most  useful  and  the  most  superb  of  all  arts  takes  its 
rise. 

From  an  old  work  on  Virginia,  published  in  London 
in  1722,  ''by  a  native  and  inhabitant  of  the  place,"  we 
extract  the  following  chapter,  which  shows  the  pro- 
gress of  the  art  in  the  colony. 


234 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


"OF  THE  BUILDINGS  OF  VIRGINIA. 

"  There  are  three  fine  buildings  in  this  country, 
(Virginia,)  which  are  said  to  be  the  most  magnificent 
of  any  in  the  English  America.  One  of  which  is  the 
College,  another  the  Capitol,  or  State  House ;  not  far 
from  this  is  also  built  the  public  prison  for  criminals, 
which  is  a  large  and  convenient  structure,  with  parti- 
tions for  the  different  sexes,  and  distinct  rooms  for 
petty  offenders ;  besides  a  large  yard  for  the  prisoners, 
and  a  separate  prison  for  debtors. 

"  The  house  for  the  Governor,  though  not  the  largest, 
is  by  far  the  most  beautiful  of  all.  It  was  granted  by 
the  Assembly,  begun  in  President  Jennings  his  time, 
but  received  its  beauty  and  conveniency  for  the  many 
alterations  and  decorations  of  the  present  Governor, 
Colonel  Spots  wood,  who,  to  the  lasting  honour  and 
happiness  of  the  country,  arrived  there  while  the 
house  was  carrying  up.  In  his  time  was  also  built  a 
new  brick  church,  and  brick  magazine  for  arms  and 
ammunition,  and  the  streets  of  the  towne  altered  from 
the  fanciful  forms  of  Ws  and  M's,  to  much  more  con- 
veniences. These  are  all  built  of  brick,  and  covered 
with  shingle,  except  the  debtors'  prison,  which  has  a 
fiat  roof  covered  with  slate. 

"  The  private  buildings  are  also  very  much  im- 
proved, several  of  them  there  having  built  themselves 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE.  235 

large  brick  houses  of  many  rooms  on  a  floor,  but  they 
don't  covet  to  make  them  lofty,  having  extent  of  ground 
enough  to  build  upon;  and  now  and  then  they  are 
visited  by  high  winds,  which  would  incommode  a 
towering  fabric.  They  love  to  have  large  rooms,  that 
they  may  be  cool  in  summer.  Of  late,  they  have 
made  their  stores  much  higher  than  formerly,  and 
their  windows  larger  and  sasht  with  crystal  glass. 
Their  common  covering  for  dwellings  is  shingles, 
which  is  an  oblong  square  of  cypress  or  pine  wood. 
Clapboards  are  used  to  cover  the  tobacco-houses." 

Thus  we  see,  that  improvements  were  slowly  made 
for  the  space  of  one  hundred  years. 

THE  PLYMOUTH  COLONY. 

On  the  memorable  11th  of  December,  1620,  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers  stepped  upon  the  Plymouth  Rock,  and 
on  the  22d,  their  families  were  landed,  and  the  May 
Flower  was  safely  moored  in  the  harbour.  It  was  an 
inclement  season ;  the  colonists  were  grievously  afllicted 
with  consumption  and  lung  fever ;  nevertheless,  it  was 
agreed  that  each  man  should  build  his  own  house. 

"  The  sounding  aisles  of  the  dim  woods  rang," 

at  one  time  with  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise,  and  at 
another  with  the  colonists'  axe  and  the  crash  of  the 
trees  of  the  forest. 


236  AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

Sorely  were  they  hindered  by  sickness,  storms,  and 
frost ;  the  miserable  shelters  they  erected  were  insuffi- 
cient to  protect  them  from  the  bitter  cold  and  driving 
snow  of  that  inclement  wdnter.  The  living  were 
scarcely  able  to  bury  the  dead  ;  the  well,  not  sufficient 
to  take  care  of  the  sick.  At  the  season  of  the  greatest 
distress,  there  were  but  seven,  able  to  render  assistance. 

Ten  years  after  the  settlement  of  Plymouth,  the 
colony  of  Boston  was  in  a  situation  somewhat  similar. 
"  Every  hardship  was  encountered.  The  emigrants 
lodged  at  best  in  tents  of  cloth,  and  in  miserable  hovels'' 
For  religious  worship  they  assembled  under  the  shade 
of  a  spreading  tree. 

Hitherto,  the  colonists  of  New  England  had  built 
their  houses  in  a  very  rude  manner,  without  having 
their  towns  laid  out  according  to  a  regular  plan. 

NEW  HAVEN  COLON  7. 

In  1638,  a  colony  was  founded  at  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut, by  Theophilus  Eaton,  John  Davenport,  and 
other  men  of  education  and  wealth.  They  laid  out  the 
beautiful  city  of  New  Haven  in  nine  equal  squares, 
with  the  streets  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles.  The 
centre  square  was  the  public  "  Green."  Upon  it  their 
first  meeting-house  was  commenced  in  1639.  '^The 
cost  of  the  building  was  to  be  £500.  The  house  was 
fifty  feet  square.   It  had  a  tower  surmounted  with  a  tur- 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


237 


ret.  On  the  floor  of  the  house  there  were  neither  pews 
nor  sUps,  but  plain  seats.  That  humble  edifice, — hum- 
ble in  comparison  with  the  spacious  and  beautiful  struc- 
tures that  now  adorn  the  same  '  Green/ — was  built  and 
maintained  in  repair  with  an  honourable  zeal  for  public 
worship.  There,  assembled  men  and  women  who 
had  been  accustomed  to  the  luxuries  of  wealth  in  a 
metropolis,  and  to  the  refinements  of  a  court.  There, 
were  ministers  who  had  disputed  in  the  universities, 
and  preached  under  Gothic  arches  in  London."* 

The  dw^elling-houses  of  the  principal  colonists  were 
large  and  convenient  structures.  They  are  even  said 
to  have  been  "fair  and  stately."  Governor  Eaton 
"  maintained  a  port,"  says  an  old  writer,  in  some 
measure  answerable  to  liis  state."  His  plate  was  worth 
£700 ;  and  his  house  must  have  been  large,  to  accom- 
modate the  immense  quantity  of  furniture  mentioned 
in  an  inventory  of  his  estate.  There  was  "  the  green 
chamber,"  with  its  "tapestry,  Turkey-work  and  needle- 
work cushions,  down  bed,  green  curtains,  fringed  and 
laced,"  &c.  &c.  &c.  Beside  "the  green  chamber," 
there  was  "  the  blue  chamber,"  with  nothing  of  "  blue 
laws"  in  the  furniture ; — "  the  hall,"  a  stately  apart- 
ment, with  "drawing  table"  and  "round  table,"  "green 
cushions,"  "great  chair  with  needle-work,"  "high 
chairs"  and  "high  stools,"  "low  chairs"  and  "low 
stools,"  "Turkey  carpet,"  "high  wine  stools,"  "great 
brass  andirons,"  &c.  &c.    Then  there  was  "the  par- 

^        *  Bacon's  Historical  Discourses. 


238 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


lour,"  less  considerable  than  the  hall,  Mrs.  Eaton's 
chamber,  with  abundant  furnishing/'  and  numerous 
other  apartments,  proving  that  the  Governor's  house 
must  have  been,  for  those  days,  a  very  stately  dwell- 
ing, suitable  for  a  man  of  his  wealth  and  station. 

NEW  YORK. 

In  1623,  a  block-house  was  built  by  the  Dutch  on 
the  island  of  Manhattan,  and  a  few  rude  cabins  were 
clustered  around  it.  This  was  the  foundation  of  New 
Amsterdam — now  New  York.  In  a  short  time  a  more 
substantial  fort  was  built,  and  Governor  Klieft  had  the 
charge  of  the  colony. 

Within  the  walls  of  the  fort,  adjoining  the  Governor's 
house,  a  church  was  built.  It  was  a  Dutch  edifice, 
with  som^e  kind  of  cupola  or  spire ;  and  it  had  a  bell 
brought  from  Holland,  which  was  not  alone  a  "church- 
going  bell,"  as  it  was  rung  on  all  occasions  of  alarm, 
or  of  assembling  the  people  for  secular  business.  Be- 
neath this  venerable  first  church  of  New  York,  the 
Dutch  and  English  Governors  were  for  many  years 
interred. 

When  New  Amsterdam  passed  into  the  possession 
of  the  English,  the  old  Dutch  church  was  honoured 
with  the  new  name  of  "King's  Chapel."  In  1691  it 
was  repaired  and  remodelled,  and  thus  remained  until 
1741,  when  it  was  accidentally  destroyed  by  fire.  A 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE.  239 

view  of  the  second  church  built  in  New  Amsterdam, 
called  the  Garden  Street  Church,  has  been  preserved. 

Many  of  the  emigrants  who  flocked  from  the  Nether- 
lands to  New  Amsterdam,  brought  their  houses  with 
them;  i.  e.  they  brought  tile,  and  brick,  timber  and 
wainscoting,  glass  and  putty ;  and  soon  their  houses, 
with  high  sloping  roofs,  and  gable  end  to  the  street, 
were  irregularly  scattered  about  the  island  of  Man- 
hattan. The  government  of  New  Netherlands  had 
formed  just  ideas  of  the  fit  materials  for  building  not 
only  houses,  but  a  commonwealth.  They  desired 
farmers  and  labourers,  foreigners  and  exiles,  men  inured 
to  toil  and  labour.  New  Amsterdam  in  a  few  years 
could  boast  of  stately  buildings,  and  almost  vied  with 
Boston." 

PHILADELPHIA. 

"  In  August,  1683,  Philadelphia  consisted  of  three 
or  four  little  cottages,  (or  log  cabins;)  the  deer  fear- 
lessly bounded  past  blazed  trees,  unconscious  of  fore- 
boded streets;  the  stranger  who  wandered  from  the 
river  bank  was  lost  in  the  thickets  of  the  interminable 
forest ;  and  two  years  afterwards  the  place  contained 
about  six  hundred  houses,  and  the  schoolmaster  and 
the  printing-press  had  begun  their  work."  Philadel- 
phia was  regularly  planned  and  laid  out  by  its  founder, 
William  Penn.     A  distinguished  English  author,* 


*  Dr.  Prideaux. 


240  AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

who  wrote  in  1715,  has  the  following  note  in  the 
margin  of  the  page  where  he  describes  the  ancient 
city  of  Babylon : 

"Much  according  to  this  model,  (Babylon,)  hath 
William  Penn,  the  Quaker,  laid  out  the  ground  for  his 
city  of  Philadelphia,  in  Pennsylvania ;  and  were  it  all 
built  according  to  that  design,  it  would  be  the  fairest 
and  best  city  in  all  America,  and  not  much  behind  any 
in  the  whole  world.  For  it  lieth  between  two  naviga- 
ble rivers,  at  the  distance  of  two  miles  from  their  con- 
fluence, and  consists  of  thirty  streets,  ten  of  which, 
being  drawn  from  river  to  river,  are  two  miles  long, 
and  the  twenty  others,  being*  drawn  across  the  said 
ten,  and  cutting  them  at  right  angles,  are  a  mile  long. 
In  the  midst  of  the  whole,  is  left  a  square  of  ten  acres, 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  four  quarters  of  the  town,  into 
which  it  is  equally  divided,  is  a  square  of  five  acres  ; 
which  said  places  are  designed  for  the  building 
churches,  schools,  and  other  public  buildings,  and 
also  to  serve  for  the  inhabitants  to  walk,  and  other 
ways  to  divert  themselves  in  them,  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  Moorsfields  do  in  London.  Above  two  thousand 
'houses  are  in  this  place  already  built,  and  when  it 
shall  be  wholly  built  according  to  the  plan  above  men- 
tioned, it  will  be  the  glory  of  all  that  part  of  the  world ; 
and  if  the  country  round  it  comes  to  be  thoroughly 
inhabited,  the  great  conveniency  of  its  situation  for 
trade,  by  reason  of  the  two  navigable  rivers  on  which 
it  stands,  and  the  great  river  Delaware,  into  which 


Plate  XXIII. 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE.  241 

both  fall,  will  soon  draw  people  enough  thither  not 
only  to  finish  the  scheme,  which  hath  been  laid  of  its 
first  founder,  but  also  to  enlarge  it  by  such  additions 
on  each  side,  as  to  make  its  breadth  answer  its  length, 
and  then,  barring  the  walls  and  greatness  of  Babylon, 
it  will  imitate  it  in  all  things  else,  and  in  the  conveni- 
ency  of  its  situation,  far  exceed  it.  But  this  is  to  be 
understood  as  a  comparing  of  a  small  thing  with  a 
great;  for  though  Philadelphia  were  built  and  inha- 
bited to  the  utmost  I  have  mentioned,  that  is,  to  the  full 
extent  of  two  miles  in  breadth,  as  well  as  in  length, 
yet  fifty-six  of  such  cities  might  stand  within  those 
walls  that  encompassed  Babylon." 

The  neat  and  beautiful  City  of  Brotherly  Love," 
has  more  than  realized  this  prospective  plan,  and  Dr. 
Prideaux's  prophecy,  that  "  it  will  be  the  glory  of  all 
that  part  of  the  world,"  is  fully  accomplished. 

The  Swedes  Church  at  Wilmington,  Delaware 
(Plate  XXIII.),  is  one  of  the  oldest  ecclesiastical  edi- 
fices remaining  in  the  United  States. 


STYLE  OF  BUILDING. 

The  meeting-houses  of  New  England,  excepting 
in  cities,  were,  (down  to  the  present  century,  and  even 
in  some  places  at  a  later  period,)  built  of  wood.  They 
were  huge  structures,  filled  with  plain,  oblong  win- 

16 


242 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


Ftg.  33. 


dows,  and  looking  like  immense  lanterns.  When  they 
had  arched  windows,  they  were  Episcopal  churches ; 
that  was  in  fact  for  a  long  time  the  external  distinction 
between  an  Episcopal  church,  and  the  churches  of 
other  denominations.  The  meeting-houses  (Fig.  33) 
had  slender  spires,  or  dumpy  cupolas,  stuck  upon 
four,  six,  or  eight  posts,  which  stood  upon  a  square 
tower,  that  was  placed  in  front  of  the  meeting-house, 
which  it  joined  to  the  top  of  the  roof  They  often 
stood  upon  an  elevated  situation,  and  though  truly 
grateful  and  even  beautiful  from  association,  to  the 


AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 


243 


eye  of  piety,  they  were  outrageous  deformities  to  the 
eye  of  taste. 

Court-houses  and  academies  were  built  in  the  same 
uncouth  style.  Happily,  they  were  all  of  such  perish- 
able materials,  that  they  will  not  much  longer  remain 
to  annoy  travellers,  in  "  search  of  the  picturesque," 
through  the  beautiful  villages  of  New  England. 

Dwelling-houses,  in  the  English  colonies  of  this 
country,  were  built  after  the  style  then  prevailing  in 
England,  as  nearly  as  circumstances  would  permit. 
Gradually,  home-bred  artisans  were  employed,  and  all 
resemblance  to  English  mansions  of  the  better  sort, 
entirely  disappeared.  The  best  houses  in  New  Eng- 
land were  built  of  wood,  with  two  stories  in  front,  and 
a  high  roof,  which  sloped  down  almost  to  the  ground 
behind;  or  at  least  so  low,  that  the  eaves  were  just  over 
the  back  door.  In  some  instances  they  were  only  one 
story,  with  large  dormer  or  dormant  windows  upon 
the  roof,  and  a  piazza  in  front,  with  slender  octagonal 
or  square  posts.  Red  was  a  favourite  colour  for  these 
wooden  enormities,  although  some  very  tasteful  per- 
sons preferred  a  bright  yellow,  with  red  doors  and 
roof  Often  they  were  left  without  paint,  and  became 
a  dingy  brown,  deepening  every  year. 

School-houses  in  the  country  were  usually  built  in 
an  unenclosed  place,  where  two  or  more  roads  met. 
No  trees  shaded  them  from  the  mid-day  sun,  no  shrub- 
bery adorned  the  play-ground.  The  buildings  them- 
selves were  erected  at  the  least  possible  expense ;  dark, 


244  AMERICAN  ARCHITECTURE. 

cold,  tind  dreary  in  winter,  and  hot  and  uncomfortable 
in  summer.  "  The  young  idea,"  however,  was  under 
these  disadvantages,  "  taught  to  shoot,"  among  the 
hardy  sons  of  New  England.  The  schoolmaster  was 
reverenced,  though  the  school-house  was  considered  of 
little  consequence.  Are  there  not  some  of  these  mise- 
rable school-houses,  even  at  the  present  day,  used  for 
common  schools?  Modern  improvement  has  not  so 
entirely  demolished  them,  that  the  present  generation 
cannot  find  specimens  enough  of  the  rude  architecture 
of  the  infant  Colonies.  Surely,  it  is  not  veneration  for 
antiquity  that  has  preserved  these  mean  temples  of 
science. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


CAUSES  WHICH  RETARDED  THE  PROGRESS  OF 
ART  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Engaged  for  a  long  time  in  a  struggle  for  very  life, 
the  colonists  were  in  no  condition  to  cultivate  anything 
but  the  soil  upon  which  they  trod.  Scarcely  had 
they  a  breathing-time,  after  their  Indian  foes  were 
subdued,  or  driven  from  their  immediate  neighbour- 
hood, before  the  French  war  again  exhausted  the 
strength  of  the  infant  nation. 

Once  more  at  peace,  had  they  been  dependent  upon 
their  own  resources,  manufactures  and  arts  must  have 
been  encouraged  and  cultivated.  But  it  was  the  policy 
of  England  to  keep  her  colonies  dependent  upon  her 
for  all  articles  of  manufacture  that  could  be  imported. 
Although  boundless  forests  spread  around  them,  they 
often  imported  the  wood-work  of  their  houses  and 

*  A  building  that  was  thus  brought  over  before  the  Revolution, 
still  remains  at  New  Haven,  Conn.  It  has  been  repaired  by  the  pre- 
sent owner,  and  is  now  a  fine  spacious  English  cottage.  The  wain- 
scoting of  the  wide  hall,  the  balusters  and  staircase,  and  even  some 
of  the  floors,  are  of  polished  cherry,  and  black  walnut. 


246  CAUSES  THAT  RETARDED 

although  clay  for  bricks  was  abundant,  they  too  were 
often  brought  over  from  England.  Skill  was  not 
acquired  in  the  mechanical  arts ;  genius  was  not 
elicited.  Yet  the  latter  could  not  always  be  repressed. 
Benjamin  West,  with  no  model  but  his  sleeping  sister, 
and  no  instrument  but  an  old  pen,  was  a  painter ;  still, 
at  home  he  could  not  be  patronised,  and  soon  England 
claimed  him  as  her  own. 

The  manacles  which  England  had  thus  imposed 
upon  the  Colonies  began  to  be  galling.  The  latent, 
but  gigantic  energies  of  the  nation  were  aroused ; 
these  energies  were  at  first  employed  in  throwing  off 
the  manacles  and  fetters.  Why  should  hands  strong 
to  labour,  guided  by  ingenious  minds,  not  be  free  to 
work  their  will  ? 

In  the  struggle  for  freedom,  (civil,  religious,  com- 
mercial, manual,  mental,)  political  and  military  genius 
were  developed  of  the  highest  order. 

The  contest  was  won  ;  yet  minds  the  most  powerful 
must  for  a  long  time  exert  their  loftiest  energies  in  set- 
tling a  new  form  of  government.  Subordinate  minds 
must  be  employed  in  the  accumulation  of  wealth.  And 
for  this  object,  no  one  doubts  the  industry  and  inge- 
nuity of  the  people ! 

No  sooner  w^as  genius  free  to  act,  than  its  power  was 
applied  to  the  immediate  wants  of  the  community. 
Mechanical  inventions,  equal  (it  would  not  be  pre- 
sumptuous to  say  superior)  to  any  in  the  world,  have 
been  thus  elicited ;   and  bridges,  aqueducts,  canals. 


THE  ARCHITECTURAL  ART. 


247 


railroads,  viaducts,  steamboats,  telegraphs,  together 
with  thousaads  of  patent  labour-saving  machines,  bear 
vritness  to  the  acuteness,  ingenuity,  and  skill,  of  the 
free  Yankee. 

Look  at  the  contrast  between  the  condition  of  this 
wide  continent  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  its  present  state  in  this  nineteenth. 
Then,  "  Man,  the  occupant  of  the  soil,  wild  as  the 
savage  scene,  was  in  harmony  with  the  rude  nature 
around  him ;  his  knowledge  in  architecture  surpassed, 
both  in  strength  and  durability,  by  the  skill  of  the 
beaver ;  bended  saplings  the  beams  of  his  house ;  the 
branches  and  rind  of  trees  its  roof ;  drifts  of  forest 
leaves  his  couch ;  mats  of  bulrushes,  his  protection 
against  the  winter's  cold." 

Now,  man,  civilized,  intellectual,  refined,  through 
the  mysterious  guidance  of  Providence,  occupies  the 
same  soil.  For  him,  the  rivers  that  flow  to  remotest 
climes,  mingle  their  waters ;  for  him,  the  lakes  gain 
new  outlets  to  the  ocean  ;  for  him,  the  arch  spans  the 
flood,  and  science  spreads  iron  pathways  to  the  recent 
wilderness;  for  him,  the  hills  yield  up  the  shining 
marble  and  the  enduring  granite ;  for  him,  the  forests  of 
the  interior  come  down  in  immense  rafts ;  for  him,  the 
masts  of  the  city  gather  the  produce  of  every  clime, 
and  libraries  collect  the  works  of  genius  of  every  age." 

Wealth  has  poured  its  golden  showers.  Emigra- 
tion has  rolled  a  tide  of  population  upon  the  shores 
of  this  country,  that  threatens  its  destruction. 

How  are  this  wealth  and  these  many  hands  to  be 


248  CAUSES  THAT  RETARDED 

employed  ?  Is  luxury  to  enervate  and  demoralize  the 
nation  ?  Are  poverty,  idleness,  and  crime  to  render 
the  people  desperate,  and  lead  to  anarchy  and  ruin  ? 
Let  us  hope  better  things. 

"  It  has  been  well  ascertained  that  there  are  few 
things  so  productive  of  civilization  and  refinement,  or 
so  conducive  to  the  tranquil  happiness  of  communities^ 
as  the  cultivation  of  the  fine  and  liberal  arts."  Should 
not  the  attention  of  the  statesman  and  the  political 
economist  be  directed  to  this  matter? 

The  useful  arts  alone  cannot  employ  the  genius  and 
industry  of  this  whole  people.  It  has  been  the  wise 
policy  of  all  refined  nations  to  stimulate  and  reward 
genius  for  the  fine  arts,  and  to  employ  multitudes  of 
the  people  in  accomplishing  enduring  works  of  art. 
Such  should  be  the  policy  of  an  enlightened  republic, 
where  the  people  are  ever  in  danger  of  becoming  rest- 
less and  discontented.  We  have  seen  the  unrivalled 
excellence  to  which  Greece  exalted  the  fine  arts  during 
her  republican  might.  No  nation  has  yet  surpassed 
her ;  but  it  is  not  impossible  that  this  may  yet  be  done 
by  the  United  States ;  for  since  the  decline  of  Greece, 
no  people  have  ever  been  more  favourably  situated  for 
the  accomplishment  of  great  designs. 

In  order  that  the  fine  arts  may  be  successfully  culti- 
vated, taste  must  be  universally  diffused  among  the 
higher  classes  of  the  community.  It  has  been  judi- 
ciously remarked  by  a  late  writer,  that  the  fine  arts 
have  ever  been  the  consequences  of  the  teaching  of  the 


THE  ARCHITECTURAL  ART. 


249 


intellect — never  its  teachers.  Necessity  is  the  mother 
of  invention ;  and  the  fine  arts,  whenever  they  have 
truly  attained  excellence,  have,  to  use  a  familiar  ex- 
pression, followed  the  lead  of  society^  rather  than  acted 
as  a  promoting  cause/' 

The  number  of  persons  who  go  abroad  to  visit  the 
beautiful  creations  of  foreign  genius  may  be  expected 
to  bring  home  a  desire  for  those  embellishments  which 
they  have  enjoyed  in  the  old  world. 

Among  the  arts  of  design,  Architecture  must  precede 
Painting  and  Sculpture  :  they  are  but  the  handmaidens 
who  decorate  her  palaces,  her  capitols,  her  churches. 


CHAPTER  XXL 


MATERIALS  FOR  ARCHITECTURE  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES. 

Never  was  a  country  more  bonntifally  furnished 
with  the  materials  for  architecture  than  the  United 
States.  Majestic  mountains  of  granite  lift  their  heads 
above  the  clouds ;  marble  of  the  purest  white,  and  of 
every  beautiful  hue,  veins  the  earth.  Sandstone,  slate, 
limestone,  trap-rock,  offer  imperishable  materials,  that 
may  be  used  to  prove  to  distant  generations  that  the 
present  age  consulted  not  alone  selfish  and  temporary 
interests. 

The  trees  of  the  yet  interminable  forests  yield  every 
variety  of  wood  to  beautify  interior  architecture.  Metals 
hide  themselves  beneath  the  surface  of  this  wide  terri- 
tory, awaiting  the  call  of  science  and  industry. 

Useless  were  all  these  treasures,  without  the  creative 
power  of  art.  Already  have  they  been  summoned  from 
cave  and  from  mountain-top,  from  forest  and  valley, 
and  far  down  in  the  deep  mines,  to  do  the  bidding  of 
a  genius  more  potent  than  he  of  Aladdin's  lamp,  whose 
creations  are  not  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision,"  but 
real,  beautiful,  permanent. 


MATERIALS  FOR  ARCHITECTURE.  251 

Granite,  a  primary  rock,  may  be  called  the  founda- 
tion-stone of  the  earth.  Its  constituent  parts  are  quartz, 
feldspar,  and  mica.  It  is  a  hard  and  brittle  stone,  but 
with  much  labour  may  be  worked  into  capitals  and  other 
ornamental  parts  of  a  building.  It  abounds  in  the  New 
England  States,  especially  in  New  Hampshire  and 
Massachusetts.  A  beautiful  white  granite  is  there 
quarried,  and  employed  in  building  at  home,  and  sent 
to  distant  parts  of  the  Union.  The  United  States  Bank 
is  of  this  white  granite ;  the  market-house  at  Boston, 
some  fine  dwelling-houses  in  New  York,  and  many 
other  edifices  there  and  elsewhere. 

Sienite  is  often  called  granite,  from  its  resemblance 
to  it ;  feldspar  and  hornblende  predominate  in  its  com- 
position. It  is  even  more  difficult  than  granite  to 
chisel  into  ornamental  work.  The  fine  quarry  of  this 
stone  at  Quincy,  near  Boston,  has  given  it  the  name  of 
Quincy  stone,  by  which  it  is  extensively  known. 
The  Astor  House  in  New  York  is  built  entirelv  of 
sienite,  and  in  Boston,  there  are  many  structures 
which  have  now  been  standing  for  some  years ;  show- 
ing that  it  bears  exposure  to  the  air,  without  injury  to 
its  appearance.  The  Bunker  Hill  Monument  is  of  this 
stone. 

Marble  is  one  of  the  most  durable  of  stones. 
The  beautiful  Pentelic  marble  of  the  Parthenon,  has 
stood  the  storms  of  more  than  two  thousand  years, 
without  injury.  Happily  for  us,  this  fine  material 
abounds  in  almost  every  part  of  the  country.  The 
black,  gray,  and  white  marble  of  Vermont  are  exten- 


252         MATERIALS  FOR  ARCHITECTURE 

sively  known.  Massachusetts  furnishes  specimens  of 
various  kinds.  The  splendid  columns  of  the  Girard 
College,  were  brought  from  Sheffield,  in  Berkshire 
county,  in  that  State.  New  Hampshire  has  several 
quarries.  In  Connecticut,  near  New  Haven,  green 
marble  abounds,  resembling  the  verde  antique.  Many 
specimens  of  this  marble  have  been  sent  to  Europe, 
and  been  much  admired  in  the  cabinets  of  the  curious 
and  scientific.  Near  the  same  place  another  quarry  is 
found,  in  which  yellow  predominates.  White  marble 
abounds  in  Pennsylvania.  In  short,  marble  is  so 
abundantly  supplied,  that  taste  and  durability  may  be 
combined  by  the  use  of  this  material  in  elegant  edifices. 

The  United  States  Mint,  Custom-House,  and  Penn- 
sylvania Bank  in.  Philadelphia,  are  all  of  Pennsyl- 
vania marble;  the  Washington  Monument,  Baltimore, 
is  also  of  white  marble. 

Sandstone,  usually  called  freestone,  is  found  of  va- 
rious colours,  from  gray  to  red,  and  dark  brown.  It 
is  easily  wrought  and  much  used  in  building.  Ex- 
tensive quarries  of  red  freestone  are  worked  at  Chat- 
ham, in  Connecticut.  The  Potomac  freestone  is  ex- 
tensively used ;  the  President's  House,  the  Capitol  at 
Washington,  and  St.  Paul's  Church,  Boston,  are  built 
of  it.  Sometimes  it  is  employed  without  smoothing, 
and  is  thus  a  durable  and  economical  material  for  cot- 
tages, stables,  &c.  It  is  in  general  use  for  the  base- 
ment, window-sills,  and  caps,  of  brick  buildings. 

Gneiss,  a  stone  containing  a  large  proportion  of 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


253 


mica,  splits  with  ease,  and  affords  a  beautiful  paving- 
stone. 

Slate  is  found  in  great  abundance  in  this  country ; 
it  is  used  for  covering  roofs,  and  should  be  universally- 
substituted  in  cities  for  shingles  or  other  combustible 
materials. 

Sand  for  glass  is  found  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware, 
and  some  other  localities.  Sand  for  mortar  abounds 
in  almost  every  state  in  the  Union. 

Clay  for  bricks  is  also  abundant.  It  is  generally 
impregnated  with  oxide  of  iron,  and  this  causes  it  to 
turn  red  in  burning. 

Metals  of  all  kinds  are  found  in  the  United  States. 
Gold  mines  have  been  opened  in  Virginia,  North 
Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Alabama,  Tennessee,  and 
Georgia ;  those  of  North  Carolina,  have  hitherto  been 
the  most  productive. 

Silver  has  been  found,  but  not  frequently,  nor  to 
any  great  amount,  in  this  country. 

Copper  has  been  found,  but  till  recently  no  mines  of 
sufficient  value  to  repay  the  labour  of  working  them. 

Iron  is  found  in  all  the  Northern  and  Northwest- 
ern States,  in  great  abundance.  The  Connecticut 
and  Virginia  iron  is  extensively  known  as  of  a  superior 
quality,  and  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  New  Jer- 
sey afford  iron  equal  in  quality  to  any  in  the  world. 

Lead  abounds  in  Missouri  and  Illinois.  In  the  lat- 
ter State  the  mines  are  very  extensive  and  pure,  fur- 
nishing vast  quantities  for  manufactures.    This  metal 


254  MATERIALS  FOR  ARCHITECTURE 

is  also  exceedingly  abundant  throughout  the  North- 
western Territory. 

No  country  in  the  world  is  more  abundantly  sup- 
plied with  wood  of  every  variety  than  the  United 
States. 

The  white  oak  grows  to  a  great  height  in  the  Middle 
States  and  in  Virginia.  It  is  strong  and  durable,  and 
although  sometimes  employed  in  domestic  architecture, 
is  more  generally  used  for  ship-building.  The  black 
oak  rises  to  a  still  greater  height,  but  is  not  so  large  in 
circumference.  Several  other  kinds  of  oak  abound, 
all  of  them  durable,  and  some  of  them  excellent  for 
timber. 

The  black  walnut  is  a  beautiful  wood  for  the  interior, 
being  susceptible  of  a  fine  polish,  and  not  liable  to 
warp,  nor  to  split.  In  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  this  wood 
is  used  for  the  shingling  of  houses,  and  occasionally 
for  timbers.  It  is  admirably  adapted  for  doors  and 
window-frames. 

Maple,  of  several  varieties,  is  also  susceptible  of  a 
fine  polish.  The  curled  and  bird's-eye  maple,  are 
very  handsome  for  interior  finishing.  Maples  grow  in 
almost  every  part  of  the  Union ;  they  are  numerous 
and  luxuriant  in  the  Western  States. 

Pine  is  a  soft  wood,  easily  worked,  and  has  for  this 
reason  been  hitherto  quite  too  much  used  for  building. 
It  is,  however,  a  valuable  wood,  and  will  long  continue 
to  be  used  for  the  interior,  after  more  durable  materials 
are  substituted  for  the  exterior  of  buildings.  From 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


255 


Maine  to  Florida,  pines  of  various  kinds  abound,  and 
are  exported  in  large  quantities  to  Europe  and  the 
West  Indies. 

The  white  ash  is  a  strong  and  durable  wood,  which 
sometimes  grows  to  the  height  of  eighty  feet.  It  splits 
straight,  and  is  not  apt  to  warp  or  shrink.  It  abounds 
most  in  the  Northern  States. 

Birch  is  not  much  used  in  building,  although  it 
abounds  in  New  England  and  the  Middle  States. 

The  hlack  hirch  furnishes  a  hard,  dark-coloured 
wood,  that  receives  a  fine  polish,  and  is  very  hand- 
some for  interior  finishing. 

The  cypress  grows  to  a  great  size  in  the  Southern 
States,  and  is  frequently  used  for  building. 

The  rvhite  cedar  grows  abundantly  in  the  Middle 
and  Southern  States,  and  being  a  soft  light  wood  is 
used  for  shingles  and  interior  finishing.  The  red 
cedar  is  a  durable  wood,  used  for  posts  and  fences. 

Chestnut  is  a  coarse-grained  wood,  not  suitable  for 
buildings.  It  is  liable  to  warp,  and  if  used  for  timber, 
often  stains  the  outer  covering  to  buildings.  It  is 
durable  when  exposed  to  the  air,  and  therefore  much 
used  for  common  fencing,  in  New  England  and  New 
York,  where  it  is  abundant. 

The  elm  is  a  beautiful  ornamental  shade-tree,  which 
grows  to  a  great  size  in  many  parts  of  the  United 
States ;  it  is  seldom  used  in  building. 

The  natural  facilities  for  transportation,  (by  rivers, 
lakes,  and  oceans,)  render  the  rich  materials  for  build- 


256 


MATERIALS  FOR  ARCHITECTURE. 


ings  with  which  our  country  abounds,  accessible  to 
almost  every  part  of  it;  these,  together  with  the  rail- 
roads and  canals  which  intersect  it,  bring  to  every  in- 
habited spot,  the  productions  of  its  remotest  territories 
and  a  tribute  from  foreign  climes.  In  New  Eng- 
land, almost  every  farm  is  furnished  with  stone  for 
fences  and  buildings.  Instead  of  cutting  down  and 
wasting  the  trees,  comfortable  and  durable  farm-houses 
might  be  constructed  of  the  stones  that  now  encumber 
the  soil.  A  little  more  labour  than  what  is  now  em- 
ployed to  pile  them  in  heaps,  might  lay  them  up  in 
walls.  There  has  hitherto  been  a  great  want  of 
economy  in  this  respect,  and  it  is  therefore  the  more 
earnestly  urged  upon  the  attention  of  the  community. 
As  the  present  wooden  edifices  decay  and  gradually 
disappear,  it  is  hoped  that  everywhere  more  enduring 
ones  may  take  their  place. 


CHAPTER  XXI 1. 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES. 

A  NEW  era  in  art  has  commenced  in  our  country. 
American  painters  and  sculptors  are  already  favour- 
ably known  abroad  and  admired  at  home.  A  few 
scientific  architects  have  arrived  at  eminence  in  their 
profession.  It  is  impossible  to  mention  the  names  and 
works  of  all  architects  who  have  thus  distinguished 
themselves.  If  they  were  to  give  descriptions  of  the 
buildings  upon  which  they  are  employed,  with  plans 
and  elevations,  they  would  essentially  benefit  the  com- 
munity. A  beautiful  volume  of  this  kind  was  pub- 
lished at  Boston,  in  1830,  entitled  "A  Description  of 
Tremont  House,  with  Architectural  Illustrations,  by 
J.  Rogers,  Architect." 

The  limits  of  the  present  work  will  allow  us  merely 
to  mention  a  few  of  the  principal  public  edifices  in 
the  United  States.  It  is  not  presumptuous  to  believe 
that  the  time  is  not  distant  when  our  native  architects 
will  rival  those  of  Europe. 

17 


258 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE 


BOSTON. 

The  State  House,  173  feet  long,  61  wide.  It  has 
a  fine  dome,  52  feet  in  diameter,  upon  which  is  a  cir- 
cular cupola,  or  lantern.  Under  this  dome  stands  a 
statue  of  Washington,  by  the  English  sculptor,  Chan- 
trey. 

King's  Chapel,  built  of  rough  stone,  finished  in 
1754.  It  has  a  Corinthian  colonnade  in  front;  and 
although  faulty  in  style,  is  superior  to  most  of  the 
edifices  that  were  built  in  New  England  during  the 
1 8th  century. 

Trinity  Church,  in  Summer  Street,  a  Gothic  edi- 
fice, of  granite,  was  built  in  1829. 

The  Tremont  House  is  a  large  and  beautiful  build- 
ing, of  granite,  with  a  fine  Doric  portico  in  front.  J. 
Rogers,  architect. 

The  Market  House,  of  granite. 

The  Masonic  Temple. 

The  Massachusetts  General  Hospital 

The  United  States  Bank. 

The  Boston  Athenceum. 

Two  beautiful  Gothic  churches,  of  freestone,  were 
built  in  1847.    Billings,  architect. 

A  modern  traveller,*  who  was  not  over  fond  of 
praising  anything  American,  says  :    There  is  in  Bos- 


*  Hamilton's  "Men  and  Manners  in  America." 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


259 


ton  less  of  that  rawness  of  outline,  and  inconsistency 
of  architecture,  which  had  struck  me  in  New  York. 
The  truth  is,  that  the  latter  has  increased  so  rapidly, 
that  nine-tenths  of  the  city  have  been  built  within  the 
last  thirty  years,  and  probably  one-half  of  it  within  a 
third  of  the  period.  In  Boston,  both  the  wealth  and 
population  have  advanced  at  a  slower  pace.  A  com- 
paratively small  portion  of  the  city  is  new,  and  the 
hand  of  time  has  somewhat  mellowed  even  its  deform- 
ities, (unfortunately  there  are  many  such,)  contributing 
to  render  that  reverend  which  was  originally  rude.  A 
considerable  number  of  buildings  are  of  granite,  or, 
more  properly  speaking,  of  sienite ;  but  brick  is  the 
prevailing  material,  and  houses  of  framework  are  now 
rarely  to  be  met  with  in  the  streets  inhabited  by  the 
better  orders.  There  is  an  air  of  gravity  and  solidity 
about  Boston,  and  nothing  gay  or  flashy  in  the  appear- 
ance of  her  streets,  or  the  crowds  who  frequent  them. 
New  York  is  a  young  giantess,  weighing  twenty 
stone ; — Boston  the  matron  of  staid  and  demure  air,  a 
little  past  her  prime,  (a  great  mistake  !)  yet  showing 
no  symptoms  of  decay."* 

The  Library  Edifice  of  Harvard  University,  at  Cam- 
bridge, is  a  Gothic  building,  of  granite,  recently  erected. 

The  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  at  Charlestown,  is  a 
beautiful  granite  obelisk,  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
high. 

*  "  Among  the  monuments  at  Mount  Auburn,  near  Boston,  are 
many  of  great  beauty ;  we  were  struck  with  a  plain  black  marble 
obelisk,  of  exquisite  polish,  ornamented  by  a  single  cross  in  relief; 


260 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE 


NEW  YORK. 

There  are  in  New  York  more  than  two  hundred 
churches,  or  places  of  worship,  belonging  to  different 
denominations.  Some  of  these  are  spacious  and  well 
built;  others  are  incongruous,  unsymmetrical  build- 
ings, exhibiting  great  want  of  taste  and  skill. 

St.  PauVs,  near  the  Park,  is  considered  one  of  the 
finest  of  the  older  churches. 

The  Church  in  Washington  Square^  belonging  to  a 

several  granite  obelisks,  of  plain  and  almost  severe  simplicity,  which 
are  admirably  suited  to  the  place  and  the  purpose;  several  fine 
monuments  of  white  marble,  among  which  are  an  unfinished  column 
and  a  cenotaph,  erected  by  the  mechanics  of  Boston  to  the  memory 
of  a  young  man  who  died  at  a  distance  from  his  home.  This  ceme- 
tery stands  in  complete  and  honourable  contrast  with  most  resting- 
places  of  the  dead.  We  cannot  but  hope  that  this  example  will  be 
followed.  The  community  at  large  have  yet  to  learn  the  right  feeling 
of  respect  for  the  dead.  That  respect  is  not  shown  only  by  the  care 
which  guards  the  sepulchre  from  violation,  nor  by  setting  up  ghostly 
monuments,  covered  with  tales  of  idle  vanity  or  unmeaning  affection. 
The  true  respect  for  the  dead  will  be  shown  by  making  their  resting- 
place  such  that  the  stranger  shall  not  retreat  from  it  in  disgust  and 
scorn,  by  employing  the  decorations  of  nature,  which  are  always  at 
hand,  and  by  appointing  persons  of  taste  to  superintend  the  laying 
out  and  ornamenting  of  these  solemn  habitations  of  the  dead.  Every 
village  in  New  England  might  and  ought  to  do  this,  that  instead  of 
the  dreary  desolation  that  now  renders  them  tenfold  more  gloomy, 
they  may  present  a  melancholy  but  pleasing  appearance. 


Plate  XXIV. 


r  R  i  N  I  T  Y   0  I  i !  i  j;  (;  [  I 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


261 


congregation  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  denomination,  is 
said  to  be  one  of  the  most  perfect  Gothic  structures  in 
the  United  States.    Le  Fevre,  architect. 

Trinity  Church  (Plate  XXIV.)  was  commenced  in 
1841,  on  the  site  of  the  old  church  in  Broadway,  and 
completed  in  1846.  It  is  built  of  a  beautiful  fine-grained 
freestone,  in  the  Perpendicular  Gothic  style.  It  is  one 
hundred  and  ninety-two  feet  long,  and  eighty-four 
wide.  Its  graceful,  symmetrical  spire  is  two  hundred 
and  sixty-four  feet  high.  It  is  by  many  considered 
the  finest  specimen  of  ecclesiastical  architecture  in  this 
country.    Mr.  Upjohn,  architect. 

Grace  Church,  on  Broadway,  is  built  in  the  form  of 
a  cross,  in  the  Gothic  style,  and  is  of  white  marble. 
The  windows  are  of  stained  glass,  and  the  edifice  cost 
$145,000.  It  was  completed  in  1845.  Mr.  Renwick, 
architect. 

The  University  Buildings. 

The  Hall  of  Justice,  in  Franklin  Street,  in  the 
Egyptian  style. 

The  Merchants'  Exchange  is  built  of  marble,  and  is 
eighty-five  feet  long,  fifty-five  in  width,  and  forty-five 
in  height  to  the  dome,  from  which  it  is  lighted. 

The  Masonic  Hall,  in  Broadway,  has  a  Gothic  front, 
of  gray  granite. 

The  Custom  House,  in  Wall  Street,  is  a  beautiful 
Doric  building,  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven  feet 
long,  and  fifty-nine  wide.  The  architects  were  Ithiel 
Town  and  Alexander  J.  Davis. 


262       PRESENT  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE 

The  Astor  House  is  built  of  sienite,  (commonly  called 
Quincy  granite.)  It  is  a  massive  building  which  has 
been  much  admired. 

Many  other  public  buildings  might  be  mentioned, 
that  are  worthy  of  high  praise.  There  are  also  some 
beautiful  dwelling-houses,  built  in  a  chaste  and  simple 
style,  of  enduring  materials,  and  others  that  are  truly 
magnificent.  New  York  may  well  be  proud  of  her 
splendid  Broadway,  which,  though  possessing  too  much 
uniformity,  is  allowed  to  be  one  of  the  finest  streets  in 
the  world.  Much  regard  has  been  paid  to  architec- 
tural style  of  late  in  New  York,  and  a  saccessful 
effort  is  being  made  to  redeem  the  character  of  the 
commercial  emporium  from  the  imputation  of  sameness 
and  bad  taste.  They  may,  in  attempting  too  much 
style,  become  extravagant  and  affected  for  a  time ;  but 
these  errors  will  be  corrected,  and  beautiful  buildings 
will  be  the  final  result  of  the  present  mania  for  the  art. 
"The  recent  evidences  of  improving  taste  and  public 
spirit  of  the  citizens,  offer  the  most  certain  promise 
that  at  some  future  day  New  York  will  equal  in 
splendour  the  proudest  cities  of  the  old  world."* 


*  Architectural  Magazine,  London. 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


263 


PHILADELPHIA. 

Of  this  neat  and  pleasant  city  an  English  traveller 
remarks,  'Hhat  it  possesses  an  interior  almost  unrivalled 
in  the  world,"  although  its  exterior,  v^hen  seen  from  a 
distance,  is  not  imposing.  The  streets  are  broad,  and 
many  of  them  Viave  rows  of  trees,  forming  a  delightful 
shade,  and  taking  away  the  glare  of  the  brick  build- 
ings. The  stranger  is  struck  "with  the  air  of  sim- 
plicity, yet  strength  and  durability  which  all  the  public 
edifices  possess,  while  the  private  dwellings,  with  their 
neat  white  marble  steps  and  window-sills,  bespeak 
wealth  and  respectability.  The  churches  which  adorn 
this  beautiful  city,  are  not  many  of  them  fine  edifices." 

The  United  States  Bank,  now  the  United  States 
Custom  House  for  the  port  of  Philadelphia,  is  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  buildings  in  this  country.  It  is 
closely  copied  from  a  perfect  model,  the  Parthenon. 
Its  length  is  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  feet;  its  breadth 
eighty-seven  feet.  The  fine  massive  Doric  columns  of 
the  portico  stand  upon  a  platform  of  white  marble, 
the  ascent  to  which  is  by  a  high  flight  of  marble  steps. 
Thus  lifted  up  away  from  the  street,  it  has  a  very 
imposing  appearance.  The  banking-room  is  eighty- 
one  feet  long  and  forty-eight  feet  wide. 

The  new  Bank  of  Pennsylvania  is  copied  from  the 
Ionic  Temple  of  the  Muses,  upon  the  Ilissus ;  it  is 
built  of  marble,  and  is  a  large  and  handsome  edifice. 


•264       r  R  r:  S  E  N  T  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE 

The  Asylum  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  is  an  extensive, 
commodious  building,  without  much  claim  to  archi- 
tectural beauty. 

The  Pennsylvania  Hospital  occupies  a  large  extent 
of  ground,  and  is  exceedingly  well  arranged  for  the 
purpose  for  which  it  was  designed. 

The  United  States  Mint  is  of  the  Ionic  order,  and 
copied  after  a  fine  Grecian  model. 

The  Eastern  Penitentiary  at  Cherry  Hill,  near  the 
city  of  Philadelphia,  is  an  imposing  structure :  the 
walls,  of  granite,  are  thirty-five  feet  high,  with  towers 
and  battlements.  A  space  of  ten  acres  is  enclosed  for 
the  use  of  this  institution,  which  is  designed  to  carry 
into  effect  the  plan  of  solitary  confinement. 

The  Girard  College  (Plate  XXV.,  Frontispiece)  is 
situated  about  one  mile  and  a  half  northwest  of  the 
centre  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  on  a  tract  of  land 
containing  forty-five  acres;  the  whole  of  which  was 
appropriated  by  Mr.  Girard,  exclusively  to  the  pur- 
poses of  the  institution. 

The  main  building,  which  is  the  subject  of  this 
description,  is  composed  in  the  Corinthian  order  of 
Grecian  Architecture  :  it  covers  a  space  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-one  feet  by  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
nine  and  one-half  feet,  and  consists  of  an  octastyle 
peripteral  superstructure,  resting  upon  a  basement  of 
eight  feet  in  height,  composed  entirely  of  steps  extend- 
ing around  the  w^hole  edifice ;  by  which  a  pyramidal 
appearance  is  given  to  the  substruction,  and  a  means 
of  approach  afforded  to  the  porticoes  from  every  side. 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


265 


The  dimensions  of  the  stylobate  (or  platform  on  which 
the  columns  stand),  are  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
feet  on  the  fronts,  by  two  hundred  and  seventeen  feet 
on  the  flanks ;  and  the  cell,  or  body  of  the  building, 
measures  one  hundred  and  eleven  feet,  by  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-nine  feet.  The  whole  height,  from  the 
ground  to  the  apex  of  the  roof,  is  one  hundred  feet. 

"  The  columns  are  thirty-four  in  number ;  the  dia- 
meter of  the  shaft  at  the  top  of  the  base  is  six  feet,  and 
at  the  bottom  of  the  capital,  five  feet ;  the  height  of  the 
capitals,  including  the  abacus,  is  nine  feet,  and  the 
width,  from  the  extreme  corners  of  the  abacus,  ten 
feet ;  the  whole  height  of  the  column,  including  capi- 
tal and  base,  is  fifty-five  feet.  The  entablature  is  six- 
teen feet  three  inches  high,  and  the  greatest  projection 
of  the  cornice,  from  the  face  of  the  frieze,  is  four  feet 
nine  inches ;  the  elevation  of  the  pediment  is  twenty 
feet  five  inches,  being  one-ninth  of  the  span.  The 
capitals  of  the  columns  are  proportioned  from  those  of 
the  monument  of  Lysicrates  at  Athens :  they  are  of 
American  marble,  and  were  wrought  upon  the  grounds 
of  the  college. 

"The  corners  of  the  building  are  finished  with 
massive  antse,  having  bases  and  capitals  composed  on 
the  principles  of  Grecian  Architecture. 

"  The  doors  of  entrance  are  in  the  centre  of  the  north 
and  south  fronts ;  they  are  each  sixteen  feet  wide  in 
the  clear,  by  thirty-two  feet  high. 

"  The  building  is  three  stories  in  height,  each  of 
which  is  twenty-five  feet  firom  floor  to  floor  :  there  are 


266       PRESENT  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE 

four  rooms  of  fifty  feet  square  in  each  story.  Those 
of  the  first  and  second  story  are  vaulted  with  groin 
arches,  and  those  of  the  third  story  with  domes  sup- 
ported on  pendentives,  which  spring  from  the  corners 
of  the  rooms  at  the  floor,  and  assume  the  form  of  a 
circle  on  the  horizontal  section,  at  the  height  of  nine- 
teen feet.  These  rooms  are  lighted  by  means  of  sky- 
lights of  sixteen  feet  in  diameter.  All  the  domes  are 
terminated  below  the  plane  of  the  roof;  and  the  sky- 
lights project  but  one  foot  above  it,  so  as  not  to  interfere 
with  the  character  of  the  architecture. 

The  roof  is  covered  with  marble  tiles,  so  nicely 
overlapping  each  other  as  to  defy  the  most  beating 
storms. 

Beside  the  main  edifice,  there  are  four  other  build- 
ings belonging  to  the  institution,  each  fifty-two  feet 
wide,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  long,  and  four 
stories  high."    Thomas  U.  Walter,  architect. 

The  Athenaeum  (Plate  XX VI.)  has  a  front  of  free- 
stone, with  a  fine  balustrade  of  stone.  The  windows 
are  richly  ornamented.  This  building  is  a  beautiful 
specimen  of  street  architecture.  Where  the  space  for 
an  edifice  in  the  city  is  necessarily  very  limited,  the 
best  possible  way  of  rendering  it  ornamental,  is  to 
decorate  the  doors  and  windows,  the  cornice  and  balus- 
trade.   John  Notman,  architect. 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


267 


WASHINGTON. 

The  Presidenfs  House,  is  of  Potomac  freestone.  It 
has  two  fronts  with  porticoes,  and  is  one  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  in  length  by  eighty-five  in  width. 

The  Patent  Office  is  still  unfinished ;  it  is  designed 
when  completed,  to  surround  the  square  on  which  it 
stands.  It  is  of  the  dark  freestone  of  the  Potomac. 
The  building  already  completed  has  a  superb  portico 
of  the  Doric  order. 

The  General  Post  Office,  of  white  marble,  is  a  mag- 
nificent building,  ornamented  with  pilasters,  and  an 
entablature  of  the  Corinthian  order.  The  edifice  al- 
ready occupies  the  front  and  part  of  two  other  sides  of 
a  square.  It  is  unfinished,  but  when  completed  will 
be  one  of  the  most  splendid  buildings  in  the  United 
States. 

The  Treasury  Department  edifice  is  of  the  Potomac 
freestone.    Its  long  Ionic  colonnade  is  much  admired. 

The  buildings  for  the  other  Departments  are  large 
and  commodious. 

The  Capitol  is  finely  situated,  commanding  a  view 
of  the  city,  with  the  surrounding  country,  and  the 
River  Potomac.  It  is  three  hundred  and  fifty-two  feet 
long  in  front,  and  its  greatest  height  one  hundred  and 
forty -five  feet.  The  Hall  of  the  Representatives  is  of  a 
half-circular  form.    The  dome  rises  above  an  entabla- 


268       PRESENT  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE 

ture,  supported  by  twenty-four  Corinthian  columns  of 
variegated  marble,  (sometimes  called  pudding  stone,) 
from  the  banks  of  the  Potomac.  This  is  said  to  be  one 
of  the  finest  representative  halls  in  the  world.  Archi- 
tectural critics  have  detected  some  things  which  they 
consider  faults,  but  it  is  generally  allowed  to  be  very 
beautiful. 

BALTIMORE. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral  was  planned  by 
Latrobe.  It  is  of  the  Ionic  order ;  one  hundred  and 
ninety  feet  in  length,  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven 
feet  wide,  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  feet  high,  to 
the  top  of  the  dome. 

The  Washington  Monument  is  a  column  of  white 
marble  resting  upon  a  high  quadrangular  pedestal. 
The  shaft  of  the  column  is  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  high  ;  the  whole  height  of  the  monument 
one  hundred  and  sixty-three  feet.  On  the  summit  is 
a  colossal  statue  of  Washington.  This  is  considered 
the  finest  commemorative  structure  in  the  Union. 

Battle  Monument  is  not  so  large,  nor  so  fine  as  the 
Washington  Monument.  It  is  of  white  marble,  fifty- 
five  feet  high,  and  was  erected  in  memory  of  the  de- 
fenders of  the  city,  who  fell  on  the  12th  and  13th  of 
September,  1814. 

The  Merchants'  Exchange  is  a  spacious,  fine  struc- 
ture. 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


269 


INDIANAPOLIS. 

The  Capitol  of  Indiana  is  a  large  Doric  building, 
and  does  great  honour  to  the  taste  and  liberality  of  the 
State.  It  is  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long  and 
eighty  wide.  Ithiel  Town  and  A.  J.  Davis,  architects. 

HARTFORD,  CONNECTICUT. 

The  AthencBum  (Plate  XXVII.)  is  a  Gothic  edifice,  of 
rough  freestone.  It  is  a  symmetrical  and  effective 
building.  The  interior  arrangements  are  remarkably 
convenient,  and  admirably  adapted  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  library  and  other  departments  of  the  institu- 
tion.   Henry  Austin,  architect. 

Christ  Church.  A  Gothic  church,  of  sandstone. 
This  is  a  fine  symmetrical  building,  planned  by  Ithiel 
Town  and  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Wheaton.  The  orna- 
ments, both  on  the  exterior  and  within,  are  well  exe- 
cuted, and  perfectly  in  keeping  with  the  "  Perpendi- 
cular Gothic"  style.  Few  churches  in  the  United 
States  offer  so  good  a  model  for  a  church  of  the  same 
size. 


270 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE 


NEW  HAVEN,  CONNECTICUT.* 

Yale  College  Library  is  built  of  rough  freestone,  and 
is  a  symmetrical,  effective  building,  in  the  Gothic 

*  As  early  as  1815,  President  D wight  describes  New  Haven  as  fol- 
lows: "  The  area  occupied  by  New  Haven  is  probably  as  large  as  that 
which  usually  contains  a  city  of  six  times  the  number  of  inhabitants, 
in  Europe.  A  considerable  proportion  of  the  houses  have  court-yards 
in  front,  and  gardens  in  the  rear.  The  former  are  ornamented  with 
trees  and  shrubs,  the  latter  are  luxuriantly  filled  with  fruit-trees, 
flowers,  and  culinary  vegetables.  The  beauty  and  healthfulness  of 
this  arrangement  needs  no  explanation.  The  houses  in  this  city  are 
generally  decent,  and  many  of  the  modern  ones  handsome.  The 
style  of  building  is  neat  and  tidy.  Fences  and  out-houses  are  also  in 
the  same  style,  and  being  almost  universally  painted  white,  make  a 
delightful  appearance  to  the  eye  ;  an  appearance  not  a  little  enhanced 
by  the  great  multitude  of  shade-trees ;  a  species  of  ornament  in  which 
this  town  is  unrivalled.  Most  of  the  buildings  are  of  wood,  and  may 
be  considered  as  destined  to  become  the  fuel  of  a  future  conflagration. 
Building  with  brick  and  stone  is,  however,  becoming  more  frequent. 
(The  erection  of  wooden  buildings  has  been  forbidden  by  law  in  the 
populous  parts  of  the  city,  since  January,  1817.)  The  mode  of  build- 
ing with  stone,  which  seems  not  unlikely  to  become  general,  is  to 
raise  walls  of  whin-stone,  broken  into  fragments  of  every  irregular 
form,  laid  in  strong  mortar ;  and  then  to  overcast  them  with  a  pecu- 
liar species  of  cement.  The  corners,  frames  of  the  doors,  arches  and 
sills  of  the  windows,  cornices,  and  other  ornamental  parts,  are  of  a 
sprightly-coloured  freestone.  The  cement  is  sometimes  divided  by 
lines  at  right  angles,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  the  whole  resemble 
a  building  of  marble,  and  being  smooth  and  white,  is  very  handsome. 


Plate  XXVIII. 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


271 


style  (Plate  XXVIII.)  The  main  building  is  devoted 
to  the  hall  for  the  library  of  the  college ;  the  wings  to 
rooms  for  the  society  libraries.  The  interior  of  the 
hall  is  beautifully  arrano^ed :  the  windows  of  the  clere- 
story  and  the  large  windows  at  the  end  let  in  the  light 
from  above,  upon  the  clustered  columns  and  well-filled 
alcoves.  This  beautiful  edifice  was  completed  in 
1847.    Henry  Austin,  architect. 

A  foreign  traveller  remarks  as  follows :  ''In  the 
United  States  there  are  many  splendid  temples  for 

Several  valuable  houses  have  been  lately  built  in  this  manner ;  and 
the  cement,  contrary  to  the  general  expectation,  has  hitherto  perfectly 
sustained  the  severity  of  our  seasons.  This  mode  of  building  is  very 
little  more  expensive  than  building  with  wood ;  and  will,  I  suspect, 
ultimately  take  the  place  of  every  other.  I  know  of  no  other  equally 
handsome,  where  marble  itself  is  not  the  material.  Both  these  kinds 
of  stone  are  found  inexhaustibly  at  a  moderate  distance.  All  the 
congregations  in  New  Haven  voted,  in  1812,  that  they  would  take 
down  their  churches,  and  build  new  ones.  Accordingly,  two  of  them 
commenced  the  work  in  1813,  the  others  in  1814.  The  first  was 
finished  in  1814,  the  others  soon  after.  They  are  all  placed  on  the 
western  side  of  Temple  Street,  in  a  situation  singularly  beautiful, 
having  an  elegant  square  in  front,  and  stand  on  a  street  one  hundred 
feet  wide.  The  Presbyterian  churches  are  of  Grecian  architecture. 
The  Episcopal  church  is  a  Gothic  building,  the  only  correct  specimen 
it  is  believed  in  the  United  States.  Few  structures,  (many  have  since 
that  time  been  erected  in  every  part  of  the  country,)  devoted  to  the 
same  purpose,  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  are  equally  handsome,  and 
in  no  place  can  the  same  number  of  churches  be  found,  within  the 
same  distance,  so  beautiful,  and  standing  in  so  advantageous  a  posi- 
tion."— Dwighfs  Travels  in  New  England  and  New  York. 


272       PRESENT  STATE  OF  ARCHITECTURE 

religious  worship,  not  on  a  scale  of  magnificence  to 
equal  the  St.  Peter's  of  Rome,  or  the  St.  Paul's  of 
London,  nor  the  ancient  Abbeys  or  Minsters  of  this 
country,  yet,  generally  speaking,  on  a  par  with  many 
or  most  of  the  modern  religious  edifices  throughout 
the  United  Kingdom.  There  are  numerous  superior 
specimens  of  architecture  in  the  United  States,  which, 
although  neither  antique  nor  original,  are  highly 
creditable  to  the  genius  and  generosity  of  the  Ameri- 
can people.  Many  instances  might  be  enumerated  in 
Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Wash- 
ington, and  other  cities,  of  different  public  buildings. 

"  The  United  States  Banking-House  at  Philadelphia, 
built  on  the  model  of  the  ancient  Parthenon,  excels  in 
elegance,  and  equals  in  utility,  the  edifice  not  only  of 
the  Bank  of  England,  but  that  of  any  banking-house 
in  the  world. 

"The  Exchange  Hotel  of  New  Orleans,  in  St.  Charles 
Street,  is  probably  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  world ; 
the  cost  of  the  ground  and  building  has  amounted  to 
upwards  of  $600,000.  The  hotel  is  two  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  feet  in  front  by  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
six  feet  throughout  or  square.  The  front  view  is 
elevated  on  a  plain  basement,  fourteen  feet  high,  in  the 
centre  of  which  is  a  portico  containing  six  columns, 
projecting  from  the  main  building,  with  four  also  on 
either  side,  receding  inward,  all  in  the  Corinthian 
order,  and  forming  an  elegant  colonnade  along  two- 
thirds  of  the  front,  the  other  third  being  solid  and 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


273 


ornamented  with  pilasters.  It  is  six  stories  high. 
From  the  basement  to  the  top  of  the  cornice  the  height 
is  seventy-one  feet,  but  there  is  an  octagon  in  the  centre 
of  the  building,  seventy  feet  in  diameter,  vi^hich  is 
raised  fifty-three  feet  above  the  roof,  and  surmounted 
by  a  dome ;  above  this  is  an  observatory ;  the  v^hole 
height  from  the  ground  being  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
feet. 

The  theatre  of  New  Orleans  is  on  a  similar  scale  of 
magnificence  and  magnitude." 

We  are  far  from  having  named  all  the  public  build- 
ings worthy  of  note  in  the  United  States.  This  list  is 
necessarily  very  limited. 


18 


CH  APTE  R  XXIII 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE  IN  THE  UNITED 
STATES. 

Domestic  architecture  in  this  country  must  be 
adapted  to  the  circumstances  and  condition  of  the 
people.  As  it  is  an  art  originating  from  necessity,  the 
progress  of  society  must  change  the  architecture  of 
every  country,  from  age  to  age.  .  As  wealth  and  refine- 
ment increase,  taste  and  elegance  must  be  consulted, 
without  destroying  convenience  and  appropriateness. 
We  can  no  more  adopt  the  style  of  architecture  than 
the  dress  of  a  foreign  people.  We  acknowledge 
the  flowing  robes  of  the  Persian  to  be  graceful 
and  becoming;  they  suit  the  habits  and  climate  of 
the  country.  The  fur-clad  Russian  of  the  north  has 
conformed  his  dress  to  his  climate,  and  made  it  rich 
and  elegant ;  yet,  as  he  approaches  his  neighbours  of 
Turkey,  his  dress  becomes  somewhat  assimilated  to 
theirs.  France  is  said  to  give  the  law  of  fashion  in 
dress  to  the  civilized  world ;  and  the  absurdities  that 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


275 


have  resulted  from  following  her  dictates,  have  pro- 
duced ridiculous  anomalies  in  other  countries. 

In  adopting  the  domestic  architecture  of  foreign 
countries,  we  may  be  equally  ridiculous.  England, 
our  fatherland,  from  some  resemblance  in  habits  and 
institutions,  might  furnish  more  suitable  models  for 
imitation  than  any  other  country ;  yet  they  would  not 
be  perfectly  in  accordance  with  our  wants.  Our  archi- 
tecture must,  therefore,  be  partly  indigenous. 

Fig.  34. 


Our  associations  of  convenience,  home-comfort,  and 
respectability  are  connected  with  a  certain  style  of 
building,  which  has  been  evolved  by  the  wants,  man- 
ners, and  customs  of  the  people.  Any  great  deviations 
from  a  style  that  has  been  thus  fixed,  cannot  be  per- 
fectly agreeable.  We  must  improve  upon  this  style, 
so  that  domestic  architecture  may  in  time  be  perfectly 
American.    Fig.  34  is  decidedly  English. 

"  Nationality  is  founded  in  a  great  degree  on  feelings 
and  prejudices  inculcated  and  aroused  in  youth,  which 


276 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 


Fia.  35. 


grow  inveterate  as  long  as  its  views  are  confined  to  the 
place  of  its  birth.  The  love  of  country  will  remain 
with  undiminished  strength  in  the  cultivated  mind; 
but  the  national  modes  of  thinking  will  vanish  from 
the  disciplined  intellect.  Now  as  it  is  only  by  these 
mannerisms  of  thought  that  architecture  is  affected, 
we  shall  find  that  the  more  polished  the  mind  of  its 
designer,  the  less  natural  will  be  the  building ;  for  its 
architect  will  be  led  away  by  a  search  after  a  model  of 
ideal  beauty,  and  will  not  be  involuntarily  guided  by 
deep-rooted  feelings,  governing  irresistibly  his  heart 
and  hand.  He  will  therefore  be  in  perpetual  danger 
of  forgetting  the  necessary  unison  of  scene  and  climate, 
and,  following  up  the  chase  of  the  ideal,  will  neglect 
the  beauty  of  the  natural.  We  must  not,  therefore,  be 
surprised  if  buildings,  bearing  the  impress  of  the  exer- 
cise of  fine  thoughts  and  high  talent  in  their  design, 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


277 


should  yet  offend  by  perpetual  discords  with  scene  and 
climate."    Fig.  35  is  an  English  cottage. 

Again,  man  in  his  hours  of  relaxation,  when  he  is 
engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  mere  pleasure,  is  less  national 
than  he  is  under  the  influence  of  any  of  the  more  vio- 
lent feelings  that  agitate  e very-day  life."^ 

Hence  it  is  that  in  our  country  there  is  danger  that 
our  villas  will  be  anything  rather  than  national.  The 
retired  professional  man,  the  wealthy  merchant  and 
mechanic,  wish  to  build  in  the  country.  Instead  of 
consulting  home-comfort  and  pleasurable  association, 
they  select  some  Italian  villa,  Elizabethan  house,  or 
Swiss  cottage,  as  their  model.  Ten  chances  to  one  the 
Italian  villa,  designed  for  the  border  of  a  lake,  will  be 
placed  near  a  dusty  high-road ;  the  Elizabethan  house, 
instead  of  being  surrounded  by  venerable  trees,  will 
raise  its  high  gables  on  the  top  of  a  bare  hill ;  and  the 
Swiss  cottage,  instead  of  hanging  upon  the  mountain- 
side, will  be  placed  upon  a  level  plain,  surrounded  with 
a  flower-garden,  divided  into  all  manner  of  fantastic 
parterres,  with  box  edgings. 

We  trust  the  following  caricature,  taken  from  the 
London  Architectural  Magazine,  is  not  particularly 
applicable  to  our  country  : 

"  The  architect  is  requested  by  a  man  of  great  wealth, 
nay,  of  established  taste  in  some  points,  to  make  a  de- 
sign for  a  villa  in  a  lovely  situation.  The  future  pro- 
prietor carries  him  up  stairs  to  his  study,  to  give  him 


*  Architectural  Magazine,  London. 


278 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 


what  he  calls  his  'ideas  and  materials,'  and,  in  all  pro- 
bability, begins  somewhat  thus  :  '  This,  sir,  is  a  slight 
note:  I  made  it  on  the  spot:  approach  to  Villa  Reale, 
near  Pozzuoli.  Dancing  nymphs,  you  perceive ;  cy- 
presses, shell-fountain.  I  think  I  should  like  some- 
thing like  this  for  the  approach ;  classical,  you  perceive, 
sir ;  elegant,  graceful.  Then,  sir,  this  is  a  sketch  made 
by  an  American  friend  of  mine ;  Whee-whaw-Kanta- 
maraw's  wigwam; — King  of  the — Cannibal  Islands, 
I  think  he  said,  sir.  Log,  you  observe ;  scalps  and 
boa-constrictor  skins :  curious.  Something  like  this, 
sir,  would  look  neat,  I  think,  for  the  front  door ;  don't 
you  ?  Then  the  lower  windows  I've  not  quite  decided 
upon ;  but  what  would  you  say  to  Egyptian,  sir  ?  I 
think  I  should  like  my  windows  Egyptian,  with  hiero- 
glyphics, sir ;  storks  and  coffins  and  appropriate  mould- 
ings above  :  I  brought  some  from  Fountain  Abbey  the 
other  day.  Look  here,  sir ;  angels'  heads  putting  their 
tongues  out,  rolled  up  in  cabbage  leaves,  with  a  dragon 
on  each  side,  riding  on  a  broomstick.  Odd,  I  think — 
interesting.  Then  the  corners  may  be  turned  by 
octagonal  towers  like  the  centre  one  in  Kenilworth 
Castle,  with  Gothic  doors,  portcullis  and  all,  quite  per- 
fect; with  crop-slits  for  arrows,  battlements  for  mus- 
ketry, machicolations  for  boiling  lead,  and  a  room  at 
the  top  for  drying  plums ;  and  a  conservatory  at  the 
bottom,  sir,  with  Virginian  creepers  up  the  towers; 
door  supported  by  sphinxes,  holding  scrapers  in  their 
forepaws,  &c.  &c.'  " 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


279 


The  English  writer  says,  "  This  is  no  exaggeration  ; 
we  have  contemplated  the  actual  illustrious  existence 
of  several  such  buildings,  with  sufficient  beauty  in  the 


Fig.  36. 


management  of  some  of  their  features,  to  show  that  an 
architect  had  superintended  them,  and  sufficient  taste 
in  their  interior  economy,  to  prove  that  a  refined  in- 
tellect had  superintended  them ;  and  had  projected  a 
Vandalism,  only  because  fancy  had  been  followed, 
rather  than  judgment." 

Our  country,  containing  as  it  does,  in  its  wide  ex- 
tent, hills  and  mountains,  sheltered  dells  and  far- 
spreading  valleys,  lake-sides  and  river-sides;  affi)rds 
every  possible  situation  for  picturesque  villas ;  and 
great  care  should  be  taken  that  appropriate  sites  be 
chosen  for  appropriate  and  comfortable  buildings ;  com- 
fortable, we  say,  for  after  the  novelty  of  the  exterior 
has  pleased  the  eye  of  the  owner  for  a  few  weeks,  if 
his  house  wants  that  half-homely,  but  wholly  indis- 


280  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 

Fig.  37. 


pensable  attribute,  comfort,  he  had  better  leave  it  to 
ornament  his  grounds,  Uke  an  artificial  ruin,  and  build 
himself  another  to  live  in.  Cottages  are  at  present 
quite  "  the  rage"  in  many  parts  of  the  United  States. 
Some  outre  enormities  are  styled  Swiss  cottages,  (Fig. 
37,)  quite  unlike  the  cottage  described  as  folio v^s  : 

Well  do  I  remember  the  thrilling  and  exquisite 
moment  when  first  I  encountered,  in  a  calm  and 
shadowy  dingle,  darkened  with  the  thick  spreading 
of  tall  pines,  and  voiceful  with  the  singing  of  a  rock- 
encumbered  stream,  and  passing  up  towards  the  flank 
of  a  smooth  green  mountain,  whose  swarded  summit 
shone  in  the  summer  snow,  like  an  emerald  set  in  silver ; 
when,  I  say,  I  first  encountered  in  this  calm  defile 
of  the  Jura,  the  unobtrusive  but  beautiful  front  of  the 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


.281 


Swiss  cottage,  I  thought  it  the  loveliest  piece  of 
architecture  I  had  ever  had  the  felicity  of  contempla- 
ting ;  yet  it  was  nothing  in  itself, — nothing  but  a  few 
mossy  fir  trunks,  loosely  nailed  together,  with  one  or 
tv^o  gray  stones  on  the  roof;  but  its  power  was  the 
power  of  association ;  its  beauty,  that  of  fitness  and 
humility."  In  fact,  the  cottage  of  the  Swiss  peasant 
is  a  genuine  log-hut, — the  picturesque  chalet.  The 
larger  and  better  kind  of  Swiss  cottages  are  built  with 
roofs  projecting  from  five  to  seven  feet  over  the  sides ; 
these  projections  are  strengthened  by  strong  wooden 
supports,  that  the  heavy  snow  which  falls  upon  the 
roofs  need  not  crush  them.  Utility  and  beauty  are 
thus  combined ;  but  there  is  no  beauty  in  such  a  cottage 
in  a  sunny  vale,  where  the  snow  falls  seldom  or  lightly. 
On  the  Green  Mountains,  or  among  the  White  Hills,  it 
might  stand  as  gracefully  as  it  does  among  its  native 
Alps.  Walnut  and  chestnut  trees  are  always  beautiful 
accompaniments  to  the  Swiss  cottage. 

The  same  care  should  be  taken  to  render  the  cottage 
comfortable,  as  the  villa ;  and  in  this  point,  unfortu- 
nately, there  is  often  a  complete  failure.  There  is  no 
absolute  need  that  this  should  be  the  case.  A  cottage 
or  a  farm-house  may  be  picturesque  without  sacrificing 
one  tittle  of  its  convenience.  The  great  and  leading 
object  should  be  utility,  and  where  that  is  absolutely 
sacrificed  in  architecture,  whatever  may  be  substituted 
in  its  place,  it  cannot  be  considered  beautiful.  The 
sameness  of  town-houses  destroys  the  picturesque  ap- 


282 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 


Fro.  38. 


pearance  of  the  streets;  this  might  be  remedied  in  part ; 
but  in  general  it  arises  so  much  from  the  necessity  of 
the  case,  that  glaring  departures  from  regularity  are 
oppressive  to  the  eye.  Much,  however,  might  be  done 
to  improve  street  architecture,  as  is  demonstrated  by 
some  of  the  beautiful  dwelling-houses  lately  erected  in 
the  city  of  New  York. 

The  few  examples  here  given,  of  the  cottage,  villa, 
and  town-house,  merely  alford  a  hint  of  the  kind  of 
dwelling-houses  now  being  erected  in  various  parts  of 
the  United  States. 

Fig.  38,  a  Grecian  cottage.  New  Haven,  Connecticut. 
It  has  five  rooms  and  a  hall  or  entry  on  the  first  floor, 
very  conveniently  arranged.  The  whole  expense  of 
the  building  was  not  more  than  two  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars.    H.  Austin,  architect. 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


283 


FiQ.  30, 


Fig.  39.  A  cottage  in  the  modernized  Gothic  style. 
H.  Austin,  architect.  The  centre  of  the  building  is 
occupied  by  two  large  parlours ;  on  the  sides  are 
three  other  convenient  rooms,  beside  bathing-room, 
pantries,  and  entries.  In  the  upper  story  are  five 
bed-rooms,  two  dressing-rooms,  and  four  closets.  It 
is  suitable  for  a  rural  city,  a  village,  or  for  the  country. 
If  of  wood,  the  colour  should  be  light  brown, — the 
colour  of  oak  ; — if  of  brick  or  stone,  cemented,  it  should 
be  of  a  yellowish  hue,  like  the  English  Portland  stone. 
It  was,  however,  a  favourite  opinion  of  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds,  that  the  colour  of  houses  should  be  the 
same  as  the  colour  of  the  materials  for  buildings,  fur- 
nished by  the  locality  where  they  are  erected.  He 
says  they  would  then  be  always  in  harmony  with  the 
landscape. 


284 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 
Fig.  40. 


Fig.  40.  An  Elizabethan  villa,  the  countrj-seat  of 
Gerard  Halleck,  Esq.  It  stands  by  the  water-side, 
near  the  shore  of  New  Haven  harbour.  The  observa- 
tory commands  an  extensive  and  beautiful  prospect. 
The  interior  of  the  villa  is  arranged  with  reference  to 
comfort  and  convenience,  as  well  as  elegance.  The 
large  conservatory  on  the  southern  side,  with  its  range 
of  Gothic  windows,  adds  much  to  the  beauty  of  the 
exterior.    Sydney  M.  Stone,  architect. 

Plate  XXIX.  Bute  Cottage,  at  Roxbury,  near 
Boston,  is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  rural  architecture, 
designed  by  William  B.  Lang,  Esq. 


Plate  XXIX. 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


285 


Fig.  41. 


Fig.  41.  A  truly  New  England  house,  the  resi- 
dence of  Roger  Sherman  Baldwin,  Esq.  It  has  four 
large  rooms  upon  the  first  floor,  and  a  wide  hall 
through  the  centre.  Neatness,  simplicity,  and  ele- 
gance, are  happily  combined  in  this  edifice.  It  is  in 
perfect  keeping  with  the  elms  and  evergreens  of  the 
city  of  New  Haven,  and  the  design  is  well  suited  for 
the  neighbourhood  of  larger  cities,  where  space  could 
be  allow^ed  for  ornamented  grounds.  Sydney  M.  Stone, 
architect. 


286  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 

Glenn  Cottage,  (Plate  XXX.,)  Roxbury  Highlands, 
is  another  of  the  beautiful  designs  of  Mr.  Lang.  It  is 
small,  but  exceedingly  well  arranged  for  convenience 
and  for  effect.  The  large  bay-window  in  front  opens 
into  the  main  parlour,  which  is  a  fine,  spacious  apart- 
ment; back  of  this  is  a  dining-room,  separated  from 
the  parlour  by  an  entry  and  stair-case.  The  small 
addition  to  the  main  building  is  for  a  library ;  the 
larger  one  is  the  kitchen,  &c.  The  vicinity  of  Boston 
is  remarkable  for  its  romantic  and  beautiful  scenery ; 
and  no  locality  in  that  neighbourhood  is  more  strikingly 
picturesque  than  the  Roxbury  Highlands. 

All  the  needful  buildings  about  a  country-house 
may  be  rendered  picturesque,  without  great  expense. 
Figs.  42,  43,  44,  and  45  are  designs,  by  Mr.  Lang,  for 
the  smaller  buildings  on  the  grounds  about  one  of  the 
Highland  cottages. 

Fig.  42,  a  play-house  for  children. 

Fig.  42. 


Plate  XXX. 


IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  287 

Fig.  43.    A  small  Garden  House. 

Fig.  43. 


f 

Fig.  44.    A  Rustic  Arbour. 

Fig.  44. 


288  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE. 

Fig.  45.    A  Pump  House. 


Fig.  45. 


The  specimens  of  domestic  architecture  already 
given,  have  been  mostly  of  a  rural  character. 

Plate  XXXI.  is  a  perspective  view  of  the  mansion  of 
James  Dundas,  Esq.,  in  Philadelphia.  It  is  seldom  that 
a  city-house  can  be  embellished  with  grounds  so  ex- 
tensive, and  thus  command  "  ample  room  and  verge 
enough^'  for  every  convenience  and  elegance  of  life. 
The  plainness  of  the  front  is  relieved  by  a  beautiful 
Ionic  portico,  of  white  marble ;  the  colour  of  the  edifice 
is  yellow,  so  delicate  that  the  ornamental  parts,  though 
of  a  pure  white,  are  not  in  glaring  contrast.  It  is, 
moreover,  a  symmetrical  building,  very  pleasing  to  the 
eye.    Thomas  U.  Walter,  architect. 


Plate  XXXI 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


USE   OF  THE  GRECIAN   ORDERS  AND  GOTHIC 
STYLE  IN  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS. 


The  appropriate  use  of  the  Grecian  orders,  in  the 
architecture  of  the  United  States,  is  a  subject  demand- 
ing nice  investigation.  This  topic  has  been  ably  dis- 
cussed in  an  article  in  the  Journal  of  Science  for 
1830-31,  and  from  it  a  few  extracts  will  be  made, 
although  in  some  things,  we  take  the  liberty  to  differ 
from  the  very  able  writer. 

The  Roman  Doric  is  frequently  employed  in  our 
country.  It  differs  from  the  Grecian  in  having  a  base ; 
in  the  height  of  its  shaft,  which  is  eight  diameters 
instead  of  six ;  in  the  capital,  which  is  richer  than  the 
Grecian;  in  the  disposition  of  the  triglyphs;  in  the 
admission  of  a  variety  of  decorations ;  in  the  metopes, 
and  in  a  more  richly-moulded  frieze.  Its  characteristic 
is  a  cheerful  dignity,  which  is  often  very  agreeable, 
and  for  which  we  could  perhaps  find  no  substitute  in 


19 


290 


GRECIAN  AND  GOTHIC 


the  other  orders.  I  should  be  far  from  desiring  its  ex- 
clusion ;  but  wish  to  have  its  proper  character,  and  the 
danger  to  which  we  are  exposed  in  using  it,  clearly 
understood.  The  latter  arises  from  the  inherent  rich- 
ness of  the  order,  seen  in  the  numerous  mouldings, 
and  in  the  variety  of  ornament  which  it  admits.  A 
flower,  an  ox-head,*  a  fillet,  or  something  of  this  kind, 
is  almost  universally  employed  upon  the  metopes,  and 
seems,  indeed,  to  be  requisite  that  the  frieze  may  be  in 
keeping  with  the  architrave  and  cornice  as  well  as  the 
column.  By  this  minute  attention  to  ornament,  the 
expression  as  a  whole  may  be  sacrificed.  Here  is  the 
most  difficult  part  of  an  architect's  labours,  and  the 
most  important,  the  part,  indeed,  in  which  his  genius 
is  chiefly  shown. 

"If  I  can  convey  my  idea,"  says  Sir  Joshua  Rey- 
nolds, "  I  wish  to  distinguish  excellence  of  this  kind 
by  calling  it,  the  genius  of  mechanical  'performance. 
This  genius  consists,  I  conceive,  in  the  power  of  ex- 
pressing, (in  painting  or  architecture,)  the  object  as  a 
rvhole ;  so  that  the  general  effect  and  power  of  the 
whole  may  take  possession  of  the  mind ;  and  for  a 
while  suspend  the  consideration  of  the  subordinate 
and  particular  beauties  or  defects.    I  do  not  mean  to 


*  This  most  inappropriate  ornament  for  a  Christian  edifice,  may 
be  seen  upon  the  metopes  of  a  Congregational  church  at  I^ew  Haven, 
in  the  Grecian  Doric  or  Tuscan  style  ;  otherwise  a  fine  building. 


IN  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS. 


291 


prescribe  what  degree  of  attention  ought  to  be  paid  to 
the  mimite  parts ;  this  is  hard  to  settle.  We  are  sure 
that  it  is  expressing  the  general  effect  of  the  whole, 
which  alone  can  give  to  objects  their  true  and  touching 
character,  and  wherever  this  is  observed,  whatever  else 
may  be  neglected,  we  acknowledge  the  hand  of  a 
master." 

Beside  the  danger  into  which  the  Roman  Doric  is 
apt  to  lead,  of  neglecting  this  expression  as  a  whole,  in 
attention  to  minute  parts,  there  are  many  purposes  to 
which  its  powers  are  unequal.  In  most  large  edifices  we 
wish  to  express  grandeur,  or  solemnity,  or  both  united. 
We  shall  find  these  in  the  true  Doric.  The  Bank  of 
the  United  States,  at  Philadelphia,  is  an  example  of 
this :  and  I  know  of  no  instance  in  which  it  has  been 
employed,  in  which  its  pure,  chaste,  and  noble  cha- 
racter has  not  been  at  once  appreciated.  There  is  in 
it  so  much  of  true  grandeur,  united  with  great  sim- 
plicity ;  such  boldness,  joined  with  delicacy  in  the 
outlines;  such  apparent  recklessness  of  effect;  such 
disregard  to  everything  extraneous,  and  seeming  con- 
fidence in  its  own  inherent  merits ;  in  short,  such  con- 
sonance in  all  its  parts  with  the  principles  of  beauty 
with  which  we  have  been  familiar  in  nature,  that 
every  one  feels  immediately  a  charm  to  which  he  has 
not  been  accustomed  in  architectural  objects.  In  large 
banks,  custom-houses,  houses  for  legislation,  or  for  the 
administration  of  laws,  and  for  all  edifices  where  grave 


292 


GRECIAN  AND  GOTHIC 


and  simple  majesty  is  requisite  in  the  expression,  the 
Doric  should  be  employed.  It  is  an  order,  however, 
that  will  admit  of  no  dallying ;  and  he  who  uses  it  must 
be  careful  not  to  vary  from  the  perfect  proportions 
given  it  by  Grecian  skill,  in  the  best  days  of  Grecian 
art. 

The  Ionic  has  hitherto  been  much  employed  in  our 
country,  in  the  facades  of  churches  and  dwelling- 
houses.  The  ancient  Ionic,  uncorrupted  by  Roman 
invention,  is  light  and  graceful.  The  Roman  Ionic, 
which  is  often  substituted,  has  not  the  same  fine  ex- 
pression, as  a  whole,  (the  point  which  an  architect 
must  ever  keep  in  mind.)  The  Ionic  is  suitable  for  a 
high-school,  or  academy  of  art,  and  for  the  interior  of 
legislative  halls,  and  other  large  halls  for  public 
assemblies.  It  is  peculiarly  appropriate  to  suburban 
villas  and  fine  country  mansions.  The  Composite, 
which  is  a  union  of  the  Ionic  and  Corinthian,  is  not 
in  good  taste,  and  should  seldom  be  employed. 

The  Corinthian  was  passionately  admired,  as  we 
have  seen,  by  the  Romans,  and  has  been  much  used 
in  modern  Europe.  It  is  a  favourite  already  in  our 
own  country.  Its  rich  and  elaborate  ornaments  are 
apt  to  delight  the  popular  fancy.  Here  is  its  greatest 
danger ;  and  if  it  should  become  the  favourite  order,  it 
is  predicted  that  we  shall  never  rise  to  any  eminence 
in  architecture.  ^'  It  can  never  be  used  for  churches 
with  any  propriety."   It  certainly  does  not  possess  the 


IN  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS. 


293 


requisite  solemnity,  or  gravity  of  expression.  It  is 
well  suited  for  light  and  tasteful  edifices  of  a  gay  cha- 
racter.   To  recapitulate : 

The  Doric.  The  highest  effort  of  the  art,  charac- 
terized by  grandeur  and  majesty.  To  be  employed  in 
all  buildings  where  such  an  expression  is  desired. 

Roman  Doric,  or  Tuscan.  Its  character,  a  cheerful 
and  pleasing  dignity.  To  be  used  where  this  ex- 
pression may  be  desired,  but  to  be  used  with  caution. 

Grecian  Ionic.  Gracefulness  its  characteristic. 
Suited  to  the  smaller  kind  of  banks,  to  edifices  for 
the  exhibition  of  the  arts,  sometimes  for  collegiate  and 
academic  edifices,  and  for  the  larger  kind  of  private 
dwellings. 

Roman  and  Modern  Ionic.  To  be  used  in  subser- 
vience to  the  preceding,  in  order  to  keep  it  from  being 
made  common,  and  for  the  sake  of  variety. 

Corinthian.  Gay  and  showy.  To  be  used  where 
such  is  the  expression  desired. 

The  Gothic  style  has  been  considered  too  expensive 
for  general  adoption,  even  for  churches.  But  where 
is  our  liberality,  where  our  devotion  ?  Should  we  not 
set  a  noble  example  for  those  who  are  to  come  after 
us  ?  Should  we  not  strive  to  erect  lasting  monuments 
of  the  religion  we  profess  ?  We  complain  of  the  want 
of  time-hallowed  structures,  consecrated  by  historic 
and  holy  associations.  Let  us  leave  behind  us  some 
sacred  edifices,  which  the  hearts  of  distant  generations 


294 


GRECIAN  AND  GOTHIC 


will  love  and  venerate,  and  farther,  such  as  they  will 
admire,  that  both  the  religion  and  the  taste  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  may  command  their  respect. 

It  has  been  objected  too,  that  the  form  of  Gothic 
cathedrals  (a  cross)  is  unsuited  to  Protestant  worship. 
Very  true  ;  but  that  does  not  preclude  the  employment 
of  the  Gothic  style.  A  rectangular  church,  divided 
into  aisles,  is  perfectly  suitable,  or  rather,  well  adapted 
to  the  clustered  pillars,  and  numerous  arches  of  the 
vault.  An  edifice  with  Gothic  windows  on  a  smooth 
wall,  both  at  the  sides  and  above,  is  a  burlesque  upon 
the  style.  It  is  better  not  to  adopt  it  at  all,  unless  it 
can  be  carried  out  in  all  the  subordinate  parts.  But 
this  has  been  done  successfully  in  our  country. 
Christ  Church,  at  Hartford,  is  an  example  of  this. 
The  style  has  been  preserved  even  to  the  minutest 
details.  The  buttresses  break  up  the  smoothness 
of  the  exterior;  and  the  interior  is  happily  relieved 
from  stern  and  naked  simplicity  by  the  galleries. 
These  have  been  considered  an  evil.  They  doubtless 
would  disfigure  a  cathedral.  But,  says  the  author  to 
whom  we  have  so  often  referred,  the  case  is  different 
with  us.  The  form  of  our  churches  must  be  simple, 
a  quality  entirely  at  variance  with  this  style,  and  with- 
out something  to  conceal  and  draw  attention  from  this 
plainness,  their  interior  will  appear  meagre  and  bare. 
Galleries  assist  in  doing  this ;  but  the  edifice  should  be 
accommodated  to  them,  and  they  to  it,  more  than  is 


IN  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS. 


295 


now  usually  done.  The  windows  should  be  so  con- 
structed, that  we  may  feel  that  the  gallery  is  not  con- 
cealing their  beauty  from  our  view  ;  and  on  the  other 
hand,  the  gallery  should  not  be  carried  in  a  straight 
horizontal  line  from  pillar  to  pillar,  in  the  manner  of  a 
Grecian  entablature,  but  should  be  supported  by  low 
arches,  and  thus  made  to  preserve  their  Gothic  cha- 
racter throughout.  The  great  variety  of  arches  and  of 
ornaments  admitted  by  the  style,  will  easily  allow  the 
architect  to  do  this.  The  cathedral  form  is  repre- 
sented by  fresco  painting  upon  the  wall  of  the  new 
church  in  Washington  Square,  and  the  effect  is  con- 
sidered by  many  as  very  fine ;  the  deception  complete. 
Whether  it  is  well  to  attempt  such  deception,  is  ques- 
tionable. 

The  windows  of  a  Gothic  church  should  be  of 
stained,  or  ground  glass ;  the  former  is  in  all  cases  to 
be  desired  where  it  is  not  too  expensive.  Variety  in 
the  designs,  is  in  unison  with  this  style.  Uniformity 
and  variety  seem  paradoxical,  yet  they  are  ^most  hap- 
pily united  in  the  true  Gothic.  The  spire  had  its 
origin  with  the  Gothic  style,  but  towers  are  generally 
used  with  it  in  this  country.  Some  architectural  critics 
object  strenuously  to  the  mode  with  us  in  common 
use,  of  placing  the  tower  and  spire  in  the  front  of  the 
church.  They  contend,  that  the  unity  and  beauty  of 
the  facade  are  destroyed  by  this  mode.  Yet,  to  those 
whose  taste  has  not  been  formed  by  familiarity  with 


296 


GRECIAN  AND  GOTHIC 


European  churches,  this  objection  does  not  suggest 
itself. 

"  But  where  shall  it  be  put  ?  The  question  is  a 
perplexing  one."  Surely  it  is,  and  in  most  churches 
it  would  be  a  defect,  rather  than  a  beauty,  to  have  the 
tower  placed  upon  the  other  end  of  the  church,  and 
not  in  front.  In  Gothic  churches,  a  tower  at  each 
angle  of  the  front  is  preferred.  In  this  situation  they 
will  be  powerful  helpers  to  the  facade ;  they  give  it 
breadth  and  richness,  and  it  acquires  the  importance 
it  deserves." 

Where  we  employ  the  spire,  I  think  we  generally 
err  in  giving  it  too  little  height  in  proportion  to  the 
tower.  The  highest  spire  in  England  is  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  feet  in  height,  the  diameter  of  its  base 
being  nineteen ;  the  tower  on  which  it  rests  is  seventy 
feet  high,  and  twenty-two  feet  square. 

One  word  more; — let  us  banish  all  fishes,  arrows, 
and  everything  of  the  kind,  everything  resembling  a 
vane,  fron^  the  top  of  our  spires.  They  are  no  orna- 
ment ;  a  stranger  would  think  us  wonderfully  anxious 
about  the  wind.  If  we  must  have  them,  let  them  be 
put  in  some  other  place. 

Public  edifices  in  almost  every  part  of  our  country 
are  now  being  built  of  durable  materials;  and  they 
will  stand  as  monuments  of  the  taste  and  skill  of  the 
present  age.  We  wish  those  who  come  after  us  to  re- 
spect our  memory;  and,  what  is  of  far  more  conse- 


IN  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS. 


297 


quence,  to  respect  our  laws  and  institutions.  Let  us 
then  endeavour  to  have  the  objects  associated  with 
these  laws  and  institutions, — (state-houses,  colleges, 
academies,  churches,  &c.,) — such  as  to  heighten  reve- 
rence. The  architect's  work  stands  out  in  the  broad 
light  of  day,  where  all  see,  where  all  judge,  where  all 
may  applaud,  and  where  all  may  sneer.  They  should 
then  form  their  plans  with  careful  deliberation. 

Where  expensive  and  lasting  edifices  cannot  be  built, 
it  is  still  important  to  have  churches  in  good  taste. 


Fig.  46. 


The  little  church,  Fig.  46,  is  a  neat  edifice  for  a 
small  country  parish,  designed  by  Mr.  Arthur  Gil- 
man,  of  Boston.  This  church  is  heavily  framed,  and 
covered  with  unplaned  plank.  The  proportions  are 
allowed  by  good  judges  to  be  beautiful.  But  the  most 
striking  feature  of  this  church  is  the  interior.  It 
has  an  open  timber  roof.    One  of  the  advantages  of 


2^8  GRECIAN  AND  GOTHIC,  ETC. 

this  form  of  construction  is,  that  a  lofty  interior  can  be 
had  in  a  building  with  posts  not  over  eighteen  or 
twenty  feet  in  length.  The  whole  cost  of  this  church, 
completely  furnished,  was  less  than  $3000. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


THEGRECIAN  ORDERS  IN  DOMESTIC  ARCHITEC 
TURE;  THE  GOTHIC,  ELIZABETHAN,  ETC. 

It  has  already  been  remarked,  that  it  would  be  a 
great  improvement  to  our  cities,  if  more  variety  could 
be  introduced  into  the  houses  that  line  the  long  streets. 
There  is  a  sameness  that  is  tiresome,  in  the  uniform 
rows  of  doors  and  windows  in  an  unbroken  range  of 
buildings.  Although  some  general  resemblance,  in  size 
and  form,  will,  of  necessity,  prevail,  the  details  may  be 
endlessly  varied. 

The  grave  and  majestic  Doric  will  rarely  be  employ- 
ed for  dwelling-houses ;  they  should  have  the  expres- 
sion of  cheerfulness,  to  be  pleasing  ;  yet,  if  it  be  true, 
as  has  been  asserted,  "  that  the  character  of  a  family, 
will  generally  be  found  to  have  some  resemblance  to 
the  house  in  which  they  live,"  some  grave  and  sober 
citizens  will,  here  and  there,  rear  a  majestic  front  of 
granite,  with  Doric  columns  at  the  entrance,  and  an 
entablature,  with  its  appropriate  triglyphs  and  metopes. 

The  graceful  and  cheerful  Ionic  of  the  Greeks,  is 
adapted  to  dwelling-houses,  where  white  marble  can 
be  used  for  the  building  material. 


300 


THE  GRECIAN  ORDERS,  ETC., 


Plate  XXXII.  The  mansion  of  Matthew  Newkirk, 
Esq.,  in  Philadelphia.  The  front  is  of  white  marble. 
The  beautiful  portico  is  copied  from  the  Erectheum ; 
the  Ionic  columns  and  richly-ornamented  capitals  of 
that  celebrated  temple  have  been  universally  admired 
as  perfect  models  in  classic  architecture.  Thomas  U. 
Walter,  architect. 

Where  this  order  is  employed  upon  the  building 
as  a  whole,  some  of  the  smaller  parts,  especially  in 
the  interior,  may  be  of  the  Roman  Ionic.  In  small 
porticoes  and  fire-places,  the  modern  Ionic  is  also 
extremely  appropriate.  The  Corinthian,  gay  and 
beautiful  as  it  is,  can  be  seldom  used  to  advan- 
tage, yet  it  should  by  no  means  be  entirely  excluded 
from  the  domestic  architecture  of  large  cities.  A  row 
of  buildings  in  one  of  our  cities  has  a  Corinthian 
colonnade,  with  the  columns  so  near  to  each  other, 
that  the  weight  they  support  appears  quite  too  small, 
or  rather  the  columns  seem  of  little  utility,  and  the 
houses  behind  them,  appear  only  placed  there  that 
something  may  be  attached  to  this  elaborate  colonnade. 

The  Roman  Doric,  or  Tuscan,  may  occasionally  be 
introduced  with  good  effect,  and  the  general  expression 
is  not  unsuitable  to  large  city  mansions. 

There  has  been  for  many  years  in  our  country  a 
perfect  mania  for  the  Grecian  orders.  Every  building, 
from  the  shop  of  the  tradesman  to  the  church  and  the 
capitol,  must  be  Grecian. 

In  some  instances  houses  appeared  to  be  built  merely 


IN  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


301 


to  accommodate  a  portico ;  or  rather  the  Grecian  por- 
ticoes stood  elevating  their  bold  fronts,  with  a  mean 
house  sneaking  behind  them. 

An  English  writer  severely  criticises  one  of  our 
public  buildings  as  follows,  namely :  "  Imagine  an 
Ionic  hexastyle,  with  fluted  columns,  stuck  up  against 
a  two-storied  house,  and  you  have  the  image  of  it  at 
once.  Really,  such  a  thing  is  enough  to  make  one 
wish  Grecian  architecture  buried  ten  thousand  fathoms 
deep,  beyond  the  possibility  of  resuscitation,  and  the 
very  name  of  it  obliterated  for  ever.  It  is  the  very  dog- 
gerel of  architecture.  Why,  if  such  things  are  allowed 
to  pass  for  Grecian,  there  is  no  reason  why  apothe- 
caries' Latin  should  not  pass  for  Ciceronian.  Taking 
this  building  as  a  sample  of  its  architecture,  I  should 
say  that  America  must  be  the  paradise  of  builders  and 
the  purgatory  of  architectural  connoisseurs." 

Happily  a  better  taste  is  now  prevailing.  The 
Grecian  mania  has  passed  by,  and  some  caution  is 
necessary  that  the  people  become  not  as  rabid  with  the 
Gothic  and  Elizabethan  mania,  that  has  now  seized 
them. 

In  the  country,  where  a  selection  of  the  site  of  a 
house  can  be  made,  it  is  always  best  to  choose  one 
where  fine  trees  are  already  grown.* 

*  "  The  first  thing  done  in  the  new  parts  of  our  country,  when  a 
spot  is  determined  on  for  a  liouse,  is  to  cut  down  all  the  trees  within 
many  rods  of  it ;  and  then,  year  by  year,  the  work  of  destruction  goes 


302 


THE  GRECIAN  ORDERS,  ETC., 


The  Gothic  style  for  dwelling-houses,  although  often 
censured,  may  be  used  with  a  happy  effect.  It  can  be 
made  light  and  cheerful,  and  (admitting  of  much  irre- 
gularity) extremely  convenient. 

Pugin,  one  of  the  best  architectural  writers  on  the 

on,  as  if  the  very  sight  of  a  forest  tree  were  odious.  The  house 
stands  alone  in  the  clearing,  its  inmates,  and  particularly  the  chil- 
dren, roasted  and  browned  under  the  hot  summer's  sun ;  but  by  and 
by  the  nakedness  and  dreariness  of  the  situation  are  felt,  and  then  are 
planted  some  Lombardy  poplars^  reminding  us  of  Pope's  couplet : 

'  A  little  house,  with  trees  a  row, 
And,  like  its  master,  very  low.' 

Now,  the  trees  which  we  cut  down  with  such  an  unsparing  hand 
are  the  very  kind  which  English  gardeners  cultivate  with  the  most 
persevering  diligence,  and  are  planted  here,  just  as  they  labour  most 
to  plant.  And  we  too  shall  cultivate  them  before  long,  and  shall  then 
think  with  the  most  bitter  regret  of  the  sad  destruction  which  we  and 
our  ancestors  have  made,  but  in  vain ;  for  all  the  art  of  man  will  not 
be  able  to  restore,  in  any  length  of  time,  such  glades,  and  thickets, 
and  lawns  as  we  now  possess.  When  about  to  build  in  a  new  country, 
we  should  save,  near  our  house,  an  acre  or  two  of  the  forest,  and 
should  guard  it  with  the  most  watchful  care.  Morning,  noon,  and 
evening,  it  would  be  an  agreeable  retreat ;  its  shade  would  be  refresh- 
ing in  our  scorching  heats ;  it  would  connect  us  in  some  measure  with 
ages  long  since  gone,  and  would  bring  before  us  the  wild  but  high- 
souled  Indian,  his  council-fire,  his  battle-song,  the  war,  the  chase, 
the  feast,  and  the  dance.  A  noble  grove  would  gratify  our  taste ;  it 
would  raise  our  thoughts  to  Him  who  is  '  a  shadow  from  the  heat,  a 
strength  to  the  needy  in  distress.'  I  say  again,  let  us  spare  our  noble 
forest  trees." 


IN  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE. 


303 


Gothic  style,  says :  "In  designing  or  adapting  Gothic 
edifices,  it  is  of  primary  importance  to  calculate  on  the 
size,  proportion,  object,  and  situation  of  an  intended 
building,  and  to  select  a  style  applicable  to  these 
points.  The  next  requisite  is  to  preserve  harmony 
or  consistency  of  style  throughout  all  the  members 
and  details  of  the  work.  Disregarding  this,  or  ignorant 
of  its  principles,  many  builders^  miscalled  architects, 
have  committed  egregious  blunders,  and  have  jumbled 
together  in  one  design,  not  only  the  style  of  different 
ages,  but  mixtures  of  castellated,  domestic,  and  ecclesi- 
astical architecture.  Indeed,  it  is  to  the  tastelessness 
of  persons  who  occasionally  compose,  or  rather  build 
such  edifices,  without  well-planned  and  well-digested 
designs,  that  modern  Gothic  has  been  treated  with 
sneers  and  contempt,  and  has  been  sarcastically  termed 
'  Egyptianized,  Castleized,  Abbeyized,'  &c.  Whether 
a  design  is  for  a  mansion,  a  cottage,  or  a  church,  does 
not  appear  to  have  entered  into  the  calculations  of 
many  builders.  They  blunder  on,  with  some  confused 
notions  of  pointed  arches,  slender  columns  and  em- 
battled parapets ;  and  at  length  produce  a  nondescript 
building,  which  cannot  degrade  them,  because  they 
have  no  reputation  to  lose,  but  unfortunately  excites  a 
prejudice  against,  and  erroneous  opinions  of,  a  class  of 
architecture  which  is  susceptible  of  great  beauties  and 
impressive  combinations." 

It  is  lamentably  true  with  regard  to  the  Gothic  style 
in  our  country,  that  awkward  buildings,  having  no  pre- 


304  THE  GRECIAN  ORDERS,  ETC., 

tensions  to  rank  under  any  known  style,  have  disgusted 
the  pubUc.  Better  success  will  attend  those  who  em- 
ploy men  skilled  in  their  art,  and  the  capabilities  and 
beauties  of  it  will  be  made  to  appear. 

As  the  mania  for  the  Elizabethan  style  is  actually 
raging,  some  remarks  on  the  principles  to  be  observed 
in  the  erection  of  Elizabethan  villas  will  not  be  inap- 
propriate. This  style  is  said  to  be  peculiarly  appro- 
priate to  a  "  woody  or  green  country." 

First.  The  building  must  be  either  quite  chaste  or 
excessively  rich  in  decoration.  Every  inch  of  orna- 
ment short  of  a  certain  quantity  will  render  the  whole 
effect  poor  and  ridiculous ;  while  the  pure  perpendicular 
lines  of  this  architecture  will  always  look  well  if  left 
entirely  alone.  The  architect,  therefore,  when  limited 
as  to  expense,  should  content  himself  with  making  his 
oriels  project  boldly,  channelling  their  mullions  richly, 
and,  in  general,  rendering  his  vertical  lines  delicate 
and  beautiful  in  their  workmanship ;  but  if  his  estimate 
be  unlimited,  he  should  lay  on  his  ornament  richly, 
taking  care  never  to  confuse  the  eye.  Those  parts  to 
which,  of  necessity,  observation  is  especially  directed, 
must  be  finished  so  as  to  bear  a  close  scrutiny,  that  the 
eye  may  rest  upon  them  with  satisfaction ;  but  their 
finish  must  not  be  of  a  character  which  would  have 
attracted  the  eye  by  itself  without  being  placed  in  a 
conspicuous  situation ;  for,  if  it  were,  the  united  attrac- 
tion of  form  and  detail  would  confine  the  contempla- 
tion altogether  to  the  parts  so  distinguished,  and  render 


IN  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE.  305 

it  impossible  for  the  mind  to  receive  any  impression 
of  general  effect.  Consequently,  the  parts  that  project, 
and  are  to  bear  a  strong  light,  must  be  chiselled  with 
infinite  delicacy  ;  but  those  parts  which  are  to  be  flat, 
and  in  shade,  should  be  marked  with  great  sharpness 
and  boldness,  that  the  impression  may  be  equalized. 
When,  for  instance,  we  have  anything  to  do  with  oriels, 
to  which  attention  is  immediately  attracted  by  their 
projection,  we  may  run  wreaths  of  the  finest  flowered- 
work  up  the  mullions,  charge  the  terminations  with 
shields,  and  quarter  them  richly,  but  we  must  join  the 
windows  to  the  wall,  where  its  shadow  falls,  by  means 
of  more  deep  and  decided  decoration. 

Secondly.  In  the  choice  and  design  of  his  orna- 
ments, the  architect  should  endeavour  to  be  grotesque, 
rather  than  graceful,  (though  little  bits  of  soft  flower- 
work  here  and  there,  will  relieve  the  eye ;)  but  he 
must  not  imagine  he  can  be  grotesque  by  carving 
faces  with  holes  for  eyes,  and  knobs  for  noses ;  on  the 
contrary,  whenever  he  mimics  grotesque  life,  there 
should  be  wit  and  humour  in  every  feature,  fun  and 
frolic  in  every  attitude  ;  every  distortion  should  be 
anatomical,  and  every  monster  a  studied  combination. 

Thirdly.  The  gables  must,  on  no  account,  be 
jagged  into  a  succession  of  right  angles,  as  if  people 
were  to  be  perpetually  engaged  in  trotting  up  one 
side  and  down  the  other.  This  custom,  though 
sanctioned  by  authority,  has  very  little  apology  to 
offer  for  itself,  based  on  any  principles  of  composition. 

20 


306   *  THEGRECIAN  ORDERS,  ETC., 

In  street  effect,  indeed,  it  is  occasionally  useful,  and 
where  the  verticals  below  are  unbroken  by  ornament, 
may  be  used  in  the  detached  Elizabethan,  but  not 
when  decoration  has  been  permitted  below.  They 
should  then  be  carried  up  in  curved  lines,  alternating 
with  two  angles,  or  three  at  the  most,  without  pinna- 
cles or  hip-knobs.  A  hollow  parapet  is  far  better  than 
a  battlement  in  the  intermediate  spaces ;  the  latter,  in- 
deed, is  never  allowable,  except  when  the  building  has 
some  appearance  of  having  been  intended  for  defence, 
and  therefore  is  generally  barbarous  in  the  villa,  while 
the  parapet  admits  of  great  variety  of  effect. 

Lastly.  The  garden  of  the  Elizabethan  villa  should 
be  laid  out  with  a  few  simple  terraces  near  the  house, 
so  as  to  unite  it  well  with  the  ground. 

Fig.  47  is  a  beautiful  English  villa,  in  the  Eliza- 
bethan style.  It  has  not  the  awkward,  outre  charac- 
ter of  many  of  those  buildings  styled  Elizabethan, 
which  are  blotting  the  fair  face  of  our  country, — those 
dark-brown  deformities,  with  as  many  high,  pointed 
gables  as  can  be  contrived  by  the  skill  of  the  ignorant 
artisan,  in  lieu  of  anything  else  to  distinguish  them  as 
Elizabethan.  This  villa  may  serve  as  a  model  for  a 
spacious  country-house  in  the  Northern,  Middle,  and 
Western  States. 


CHAPTER  XXV  1. 


A  RANDOM  CHAPTER,  ON  WALLS,  CHIMNEYS, 
WINDOWS,  ETC. 


To  build  a  house  upon  the  sand,"  is  considered 
the  extreme  of  folly ;  every  wise  man  builds  upon  a 
firm  foundation.  If  it  is  not  upon  a  rock,  it  must  be 
made  firm  by  artificial  means,  such  as  driving  timber 
into  the  loose  soil  or  mud.  Thus  the  Hollanders  have 
built  their  cities,  robbing  old  ocean  of  his  rightful 
domain.  Various  kinds  of  walls  have  been  used  in 
ancient  and  modern  times.  The  immense  oblong 
stones  employed  by  the  Etruscans  and  Romans,  were 
made  perfectly  smooth,  and  laid  up  without  mortar, 
the  courses  overlaying  each  other  so  as  to  "  break 
joint,"  as  it  is  technically  termed.  A  double  wall  was 
in  some  instances  constructed,  and  the  space  between, 
filled  in  with  broken  bricks,  rubbish,  and  mortar. 
The  walls  of  the  Pantheon  were  of  this  kind,  and  time 
has  so  consolidated  the  whole  mass,  that  unless  de- 
stroyed by  an  earthquake  or  volcano,  they  may  stand 
as  long  as  the  great  globe  itself."  In  some  of  the 
cities  of  the  United  States,  walls  for  large  buildings 
are  only  a  brick  and  a  half  in  thickness.    Fearful  con- 


A  RANDOM  CHAPTER. 


309 


sequences  may  result; — they  have  already  resulted 
from  this  mistaken  economy.  Lives  have  been  lost 
by  their  falling  in. 

Wooden  walls  of  timber  and  boards  do  well  for  a 
new  country,  where  forests  are  abundant,  and  men 
must  build  in  haste ;  bu  t  as  soon  as  they  have  more 
leisure  and  more  wealth,  they  should  build  of  less 
perishable  materials. 

In  warm  climates,  flat  roofs  afford  a  pleasant  retreat, 
where  families  gather  with  their  books,  work,  &c.,  as 
in  cold  climates  they  do  by  the  ingle-side ;  but  where 
the  snow  must  have  an  easy  slide,  or  else  encumber 
the  roofs,  they  are  high  and  steep. 

The  brightly  polished  floors  of  wood,  and  the  beauti- 
ful cool  marble,  are  for  warm  climates ;  in  colder 
regions  we  are  glad  to  be  made  comfortable  by  cover- 
ing them  with  carpets. 

Windows  and  doors  may  be  made  highly  orna- 
mental. They  form  the  most  im- 
portant  features  in  the  architecture 
of  the  houses  of  a  city.  That  the 
ancients  had  windows  to  their 
dwellings  is  quite  certain,  yet  they 
must  have  been  small  and  unorna- 
mented.  Houses  of  one  story  were 
lighted  from  the  roof  In  the 
Lom bardic  period,  windows  began 
to  be  a  conspicuous  ornament,  and 
in  the  Gothic  style,  they  are  the 


310 


A  RANDOM  CHAPTER, 


ornament  excellence.  The  bay-windows  (Fig.  48), 
or  as  they  are  often  erroneously  called,  bow-windows, 
give  beauty  both  to  the  interior  and  exterior  of  Gothic 
buildings.  The  windows  of  a  city  may  be  varied  ad 
infinitum.  Fig.  49,  a  rich  style 
from  the  Palazzo  Medici,  Rome. 

The  question  arises,  cannot  our 
architects  furnish  us  with  a  truly 
American  style  ?  Will  not  some- 
thing original*  in  time  be  pro- 
duced ?  Or  rather,  will  not  modi- 
fications grow  out  of  former  styles, 
suited  to  our  climate,  customs,  and 
mode  of  life  ? 

Doors  in  ancient  edifices  were 
of  brass,  bronze,  and  other  rich 
materials ;  plat<es  of  gold  and  silver  were  used  for  their 
covering,  and  the  finest  sculpture  was  lavished  upon 
them.  In  modern  times,  the  portal  constitutes  the 
leading  feature  in  the  front  of  most  buildings.  For  a 
dwelling-house,  care  should  be  taken  that  it  be  not  too 
large ;  and  yet,  this  is  not  a  common  defect.  A  wide, 
lofty  entrance  gives  a  hospitable  expression  to  a  dwell- 
ing-house, and  besides,  affords  ample  space  for  rich 
ornament. 

Chimneys  have  almost  invariably  been  ugly  appen- 
dages to  all  kinds  of  buildings  in  our  country.  It  is 
said  by  a  tasteful  architect,  that a  chimney  can  pro- 
perly be  an  ornament  to  nothing  but  a  cottage."  We 


ON  WALLS,  CHIMNEYS,  ETC. 


311 


like  to  see  the  curling  smoke  gracefully  rising  from 
the  secluded  cottage  in  the  valley  or  on  the  mountain- 
side; it  is  associated  with  home-comfort.  And  a  most 
important  matter  it  becomes,  that  the  smoke  should 
arise  "without  let  or  hindrance."  It  may  do  so  as  well 
through  a  handsome  as  an  ugly  form,  and  therefore 
attention  should  be  specially  directed  to  it. 

Fig.  50.  Fia.  51. 


Decoration  has  been  considered  out  of  place  upon  a 
chimney,  the  main  object  being  only  to  make  them 
not  ugly.  Yet  variety  of  form  may  be  given,  and  this 
is  desirable ;  and  they  should  be  kept  in  unison  with 
the  style  of  the  edifices  upon  which  they  must  appear. 
After  all,  generally  the  less  conspicuous  they  are  in  a 
city  the  better ;  in  the  country  they  can  be  made  pic- 
turesque.   (Figs.  50  and  51,  old  English  chimneys.) 

In  interior  architecture,  fire-places  are  among  the 
most  ornamental  features.  The  introduction  of  fur- 
naces and  stoves,  it  is  hoped,  will  not  expel  them  from 
modern  dwelling-houses.  Marble  of  every  variety  is 
employed  for  fire-places  in  the  United  States,  and  many 


312 


A  RANDOM  CHAPTER. 


beautiful  specimens  of  sculpture  have  been  brought 
from  Italy  and  France  to  decorate  the  mansions  of  the 
wealthy.  The  skill  of  native  artists  now  renders  it 
unnecessary  to  employ  foreign  aid  for  this  or  any  other 
part  of  American  buildings.  Greenough,  Powers, 
Clevenger,  Augur,  Brackett,  Ives,  Hughes,  and  many 
other  sculptors,  are  known  to  every  lover  of  national 
art.  A  long  list  of  architects  might  be  named,  who 
have  a  right  to  claim  commendation  and  confidence ; 
to  verify  this,  enter  our  large  cities,  and  look 
around." 

To  build  without  the  aid  of  a  skilful  and  scientific 
architect  is  presumptuous.  It  is  a  narrow-minded  and 
short-sighted  economy,  which  brings  its  own  punish- 
ment. Let  the  artisan  and  the  artist  each  have  his 
own  part  assigned,  and  not  trespass  upon  each  other's 
ground.  "  We  conclude,"  in  the  words  of  another, 
"  with  exhorting  all  house-builders  (owners)  to  '  fling 
away  ambition;'  to  contrive  their  houses  with  a  view 
to  comfort,  rather  than  show ;  and  to  take  special  care 
that  the  proportions  be  not  so  great,  and  the  cost  so 
extravagant,  as  to  gain  for  their  edifices  the  unenviable 
name  of  '  Follies.'  " 

"Art  thrives  most 
Where  commerce  has  enriched  the  busy  coast ; 
He  catches  all  improvements  in  their  flight, 
Spreads  foreign  wonders  in  his  country's  sight, 
Imports  what  others  have  invented  well, 
And  stirs  his  own  to  match  them,  or  excel." 

COWPER. 


Fig.  52. 


Fig.  52,  an  English  school-house  of  the  EUzabe- 
than  style.  It  is  one  of  the  famous  Brompton  school- 
houses,  described  at  page  200.  It  is  admirably  adapted 
for  the  purpose  designed,  having  separate  entrances 
and  apartments  for  girls  and  boys,  and  above  them 
convenient  recitation  rooms.  Surrounded  by  large 
shade  trees,  it  would  have  a  picturesque  appearance. 


CHAPTER  XXVIL 

ARRANGEMENTS  OF   A  CITY,  AND  THE  BEAUTI- 
FYING OF  TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES. 

The  Italian  architectural  writer  Milizia,  has  given 
the  following  hints  on  the  founding  and  arrangement 
of  a  city. 

"  In  the  case  of  founding  a  new  city,  the  most  ad- 
vantageous position  should  be  selected." 

"1.  The  neighbourhood  of  marshy  and  low  land 
should  be  avoided,  because  the  air  is  thereby  rendered 
unwholesome.  2.  Plenty  of  good  water  is  indispen- 
sable, either  below  the  ground,  that  wells  may  be  dig- 
ged in  any  part  of  the  city,  or  in  the  vicinity,  that  it 
may  be  brought  in  abundance  by  aqueducts  and  pipes 
to  every  house.  3.  Nearness  to  the  sea,  or  to  a  navi- 
gable river,  for  commercial  advantages.  4.  An  emi- 
nence should  be  chosen,  if  possible,  for  the  site,  both 
for  beauty  of  appearance,  and  for  keeping  the  streets 
well  drained.  The  form  must  be  in  a  measure  adapt- 
ed to  the  location.    The  circular  form  and  polygon 


ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC.  315 

have  been  recommended,  but  in  general  the  square 
form  will  be  found  to  offer  the  greatest  advantages." 

Some  cities  in  the  Western  States  have  been  laid 
out  in  a  circular  form,  with  a  space  in  the  centre  for 
public  edifices ;  the  principal  streets  diverge  from  this 
open  space,  like  the  radii  of  a  circle.  These  streets 
would  be  beautiful  and  convenient,  but  the  cross- 
streets  must  be  unpleasant,  and  the  public  buildings 
not  sufficiently  distributed  for  convenience.  Perfect 
regularity  produces  disagreeable  monotony. 

A  city  requires  squares  of  various  sizes,  and  streets 
cutting  each  other  in  various  directions,  and  differing 
from  each  other  in  size  and  decorations.  In  this 
arrangement  there  should  be  quantity,  contrast,  even 
some  disorder,  to  produce  beauty  and  elegance.  Ex- 
treme uniformity  is  an  essential  fault  in  a  city."  Of 
this  fault  we  are  at  present  not  much  in  danger,  in 
the  United  States.  The  builders  of  New  York,  fol- 
lowed "  a  cow-path,"  as  tradition  has  it,  for  their 
principal  streets.  The  settlers  of  Boston,  says  Dr. 
Dwight,  "  appear  to  have  built  where  a  vote  permitted, 
or  where  danger  or  necessity  forced  them  to  build. 
The  streets  strike  the  eye  of  a  traveller  as  if  intended 
to  be  mere  passages  from  one  neighbourhood  to  another, 
and  not  as  the  open,  handsome  divisions  of  a  great 
town.  It  deserves  to  be  remembered,  that  almost  all 
the  great  cities  in  the  world  have  been  formed  in  a 
similar  manner.  London,  Paris,  Madrid,  Vienna, 
Moscow,  Constantinople,  Aleppo,  &c.,  are  all  princi- 


316  ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC. 

pally  built  on  wretched  streets,  and  with  a  deplorable 
confusion.  The  founders  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon 
seem  to  have  been  the  only  ancients  who  understood 
this  subject.  Whence  these  men  acquired  such  large- 
ness of  heart,  it  will  be  difficult  to  determine,  unless 
we  suppose  Nineveh  to  have  derived  its  noble  form 
from  traditionary  remains  of  antediluvian  improve- 
ment, and  Babylon  to  have  been  a  copy  of  Nineveh. 
Why  the  Greeks,  who  readily  adopted  the  improve- 
ments of  other  countries,  and  originated  so  many  of 
their  own,  neglected  a  thing  of  so  much  consequence, 
it  is  not  easy  to  explain."  Doubtless  they  preferred 
variety  to  such  perfect  uniformity.  "  The  plan  of  a 
city  should  be  so  arranged  as  to  subdivide  the  whole 
into  an  infinity  of  particular  beauties,  each  so  widely 
differing  from  the  other,  that  something  new  should 
be  continually  presenting  itself  to  the  eye.  Four 
things  are  requisite  to  form  a  beautiful  city,  namely : 
1.  Its  entrances.  2.  Its  streets.  3.  Its  squares.  4. 
Its  edifices.  1.  The  entrances  should  be  free,  nume- 
rous in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  enclosure,*  and 
sufficiently  ornamented  within  and  without.  On  the 
exterior  should  be  a  long  road,  with  rows  of  trees  on 
each  side,  and  fountains,  terminating  in  a  square  be- 
fore the  gate,  which  should  be  a  superb  triumphal 
arch,  giving  admittance  to  another  noble  square,  sur- 
rounded by  noble  buildings,  with  several  majestic 

*  This  has  reference  to  a  city  surrounded,  like  most  European 
cities,  with  walls. 


ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC.  317 

streets,  branching  off  to  various  parts  of  the  city,  all 
terminated  by  some  particular  (imposing?)  object." 

Happily,  we  have  no  need  of  v/alls  to  surround  our 
cities,  but  the  suggestion  of  a  broad  road,  with  rows  of 
trees  on  each  side,  is  one  that  should  be  followed.  It 
would  thus  form  a  delightful  drive,  or  promenade, 
sheltered  from  the  sun. 

"2.  The  streets  are  for  the  purpose  of  rendering 
communication  easy,  they  should  therefore  be  nume- 
rous, straight,  and  wide.  Their  width  must  corre- 
spond not  only  with  the  size  and  population  of  the 
city,  but  also  with  the  height  of  the  edifices,  and  their 
own  length.  The  greatest  width  should  be  in  the 
centre,  where  there  is  the  greatest  thoroughfare.  The 
streets  should  be  planted  with  trees,  when  they  are 
first  laid  out ;  some  in  regular  rows,  others  at  various 
places  in  groups. 

''The  squares  should  be  numerous,  and  varied  in 
figure  and  size,  not  only  for  the  use  of  the  people,  but 
for  the  salubrity,  and  to  give  a  more  spacious  effect." 

The  citizens  of  New  York  have  at  length  become 
aware  of  the  beauty  and  salubrity  of  public  squares. 
St.  John's  Park,  Washington  Square,  Union  Square, 
and  several  others  in  recently-built  parts  of  the  city, 
are  tastefully  ornamented  with  trees  and  shrubbery, 
affording  sweet  green  spots  for  the  eye  to  rest  upon,  as 
a  relief  from  the  glare  of  brick  walls  and  dirty  pave- 
ments. 

Every  city  should  make  ample  provision  for  spa- 


318  ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC. 

cious  public  squares.  Trees  of  every  variety,  shrubs, 
flowers,  and  evergreens,  should  decorate  these  grounds, 
and  fountains  throw  up  their  sparkling  waters,  con- 
trasting their  pure,  white  marble  with  the  deep  green 
foliage.  Here,  beneath  the  shaded  walks,  the  inhabi- 
tants might  enjoy  the  sweet  air,  the  children  sport 
upon  the  fresh  grass,  and  all  be  refreshed  and  cheered 
by  the  sight  of  beautiful  natural  objects.  Here  the 
young  and  the  old  might  meet  to  "drive  dull  care 
away,^'  and  lose  for  a  few  brief  moments  the  calcu- 
lating, money-making  plans  that  almost  constantly 
usurp  American  thought  and  feeling. 

The  Boston  Common  is  the  most  spacious  public 
pleasure-ground  in  the  United  States.  Seventy-five 
acres  were  appropriated  by  the  early  "  fathers  of  the 
town"  to  this  purpose,  on  the  condition  that  it  should 
ever  remain  devoted  in  this  way  to  public  convenience 
and  comfort.  The  same  venerable  elms  which  shaded 
the  patriots  of  the  Revolution,  still  wave  over  the 
heads  of  their  successors,  and  fresh  young  trees  are 
planted  from  year  to  year  by  the  side  of  the  new- 
gravelled  walks,  rendered  necessary  by  the  rapidly 
increasing  population  of  the  city.  The  undulating 
ground  of  the  Common  gives  it  a  pleasing  diversity  of 
hill  and  vale,  and  the  little  lake  or  pond  near  the 
centre,  adds  to  its  picturesque  beauty. 

The  New  York  Battery,  though  much  smaller,  is 
very  delightful,  affording  a  view  of  the  magnificent 


ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC.  319 

harbour,  gemmed  with  its  beautiful  islands.  Conve- 
nient seats  are  placed  about  the  Battery,  that  its  nume- 
rous visiters  may  quietly  enjoy  the  cooling  breezes  from 
the  ocean,  beneath  the  grateful  shade  of  the  trees.  It 
is  one  of  the  loveliest  spots  in  the  world. 

The  public  squares  of  Philadelphia,  are  incalcula- 
bly important  to  the  health  of  the  city.  Beneath  the 
dense  foliage  of  Washington  Square,  crowds  of  merry 
children  enjoy,  unmolested,  their  healthful  sports. 
Within  the  enclosure  of  Independence  Square,  was 
first  promulgated  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
Franklin  Square  has  in  the  centre  a  fountain,  falling 
into  a  handsome,  white  marble  basin.  Penn,  Logan, 
and  Rittenhouse  Squares  are  also  ornamental  to  the 
city. 

The  New  Haven  Green  has  been  justly  celebrated 
as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  public  squares  in  this 
country.  Its  elms  are  remarkably  fine;  it  has  re- 
cently been  enclosed  with  a  light  and  tasteful  iron 
railing,  which  adds  much  to  its  beauty. 

Many  of  our  large  cities  are  entirely  destitute  of 
such  green  retreats.  Gardens  and  squares  are  so 
necessary  to  the  health,  as  well  as  the  enjoyment  of 
those  who  are  shut  up  in  the  close  streets  of  a  city, 
that  it  should  be  considered  an  imperative  duty  to 
provide  them  for  all  classes  of  the  inhabitants.  It  may 
be  urged,  that  if  left  open  and  free,  the  decorations 
would  soon  be  destroyed  by  the  populace ;  some  few 


320  ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC. 

rude  hands  might  occasionally  make  sad  havoc  among 
them,  but  when  the  people  had  once  learnt  how  much 
such  places  of  resort  contributed  to  their  health  and 
pleasure,  they  would  carefully  protect  them  from 
injury. 

"  4.  The  beauty  of  the  edifices  constitutes  the  prin- 
cipal beauty  of  the  streets,  squares,  and  city  in  general. 
And  who  should  preside  over  this  department  ?  Every 
city  should  have  its  Academy  of  Architecture,  without 
whose  approbation  nothing  should  be  erected."  (The 
independence  of  American  taste  would  not  submit  to 
such  dictation.)  ''The  height  of  the  houses  should 
never  be  more  than  three  stories,  their  fapades  regular 
and  well  proportioned,  all  equally  simple,  but  differing 
in  their  style  and  ornament.  Uniformity  should  be 
admitted  in  the  squares  only." 

The  public  edifices  should  be  so  placed  as  to  suit 
public  convenience.  The  university,  colleges,  and 
high  schools,  should  stand  upon  commanding  situa- 
tions, with  squares  and  courts  about  them,  planted 
with  trees  and  ornamental  shrubbery,  excluding  as 
much  as  possible  the  noise  and  dust  of  the  city.  A 
correct  taste  would  thus  be  early  implanted  in  the 
minds  of  the  young,  and  a  love  of  the  beautiful  ''  grow 
with  their  growth  and  strengthen  with  their  strength." 
Banks,  exchanges,  and  custom-houses,  should  be  built 
where  ''  men  most  do  congregate ;"  and  have  the  ex- 
pression of  riclmess  and  durability. 


ARRANGEMENTS  OFA  CITY,  ETC.  321 

Markets,  with  abundant  space  about  them,  should 
be  as  near  the  suburbs  as  convenience  permits,  and 
should  stand  at  the  termination  of  some  of  the  principal 
streets.  The  Boston  market-house  is  finely  situated, 
and  is  a  beautiful  building. 

Hospitals,  manufactories,  and  magazines,  should  be 
without  the  city,  in  open  elevated  places,  where  they 
can  enjoy  a  free,  fine  atmosphere.  Cemeteries  should 
be  laid  out  with  taste ;  planted  with  suitable  trees  and 
evergreens,  and  kept  with  scrupulous  neatness.  Archi- 
tecture ought  to  be  displayed  with  the  greatest  subli- 
mity in  churches,  which  neither  on  the  exterior  nor 
within,  should  have  anything  mean  or  inelegant. 
They  should  stand  upon  an  open  square,  or  at  the 
termination  of  a  street,  presenting  the  whole  fa9ade  to 
close  the  vista. 

The  exterior  of  a  church  should  be  of  one  single 
order,  simple  and  imposing.  The  Gothic  is  doubtless 
the  most  appropriate  style  for  large  churches ;  all  the 
associations  with  that  noble  style  are  of  a  Christian 
and  not  of  a  Pagan  character ;  or,  in  other  words,  it 
has  always  been  appropriated  to  Christian  worship. 
The  Episcopal  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  at  Brook- 
lyn, New  York,  is  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  Gothic 
architecture  in  this  country.  A  citizen  of  Brooklyn, 
with  a  munificence  above  commendation,  has  erected 
this  noble  edifice,  at  a  cost  of  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars.    Lefevre,  architect. 

21 


32:;^ 


ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC. 


VILLAGES. 


Bad  judgment  and  bad  taste  have  prevailed  in  the 
laying  out  of  many  of  the  villages  in  the  United  States. 
The  New  England  villages  have  been  much  admired 
for  their  neatness  and  beauty.  An  observing  and  vene- 
rated author,*  whom  we  have  once  or  twice  quoted, 
thus  contrasts  the  villages,  or  towns,  in  the  Connecticut 
Valley  with  those  on  the  Hudson  River  : — They  are 
not,  like  those  along  the  Hudson,  mere  collections  of 
houses  and  stores,  clustered  round  a  landing,  where  no- 
thing but  mercantile  and  mechanical  business  is  done ; 
where  the  inhabitants  form  no  connexions  nor  habits 
beside  those  which  naturally  grow  out  of  bargains  and 
sales ;  where  the  position  of  the  store  determines  that 
of  the  house,  and  that  of  the  wharf  often  commands 
both;  where  beauty  of  situation  is  disregarded,  and 
every  convenience,  except  that  of  trade,  is  forgotten. 
On  the  contrary,  they  are  villages  destined  for  the  re- 
ception of  men  busied  in  all  the  employments  existing 
in  this  country.  The  settling  in  them  is  not  merely 
to  acquire  property,  but  to  sustain  the  relations,  perform 
the  duties,  and  contribute  to  the  enjoyments  of  life. 
Equally,  and,  to  my  eye,  happily,  do  they  differ  from 
most  European  villages.  The  villages  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Atlantic  are  exhibited  as  being  generally 
clusters  of  houses,  standing  contiguously  on  the  street; 


*  President  Dwight. 


ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC.  323 

built  commonly  of  rough  stone,  clay,  or  earth,  and 
roofed  with  thatch,  without  court-yards  or  inclosures, 
and  of  course  incapable  of  admitting  around  each  house 
the  beautiful  appendages  of  shrubs,  trees,  gardens,  and 
meadows. 

"  New  England  villages,  and,  in  a  peculiar  degree, 
those  of  the  Connecticut  Valley,  are  built  in  the  follow- 
ing manner. 

The  losal  situation  is  pitched  on,  as  a  place  in  itself 
desirable;  as  a  place,  not  where  trade  compels,  but 
where  happiness  invites  to  settle.  Accordingly,  the 
position  of  these  towns  is  usually  beautiful."  One  wide 
street,  planted  with  trees,  generally  passes  through 
the  whole  length  of  the  village.  "The  town-plot  is 
originally  distributed  into  lots,  containing  from  two  to 
ten  acres,  (not  twenty  by  fifty  feet!)  In  a  convenient 
spot,  on  each  of  these,  a  house  is  erected  at  the  bottom 
of  the  court-yard,  often  neatly  enclosed,  and  is  fur- 
nished universally  with  a  barn  and  other  convenient 
out-buildings.  Near  the  house  there  is  always  a 
garden,  replenished  with  culinary  vegetables,  flowers, 
and  fruits,  and  very  often  also,  prettily  enclosed.  The 
lot  on  which  the  house  stands,  universally  styled  the 
home-lot,  is  almost,  of  course,  a  meadow,  richly  culti- 
vated, and  containing  generally  a  thrifty  orchard.  It 
is  hardly  necessary  to  observe,  that  these  appendages 
spread  a  singular  cheerfulness  and  beauty  over  a  New 
England  village,  or  that  they  contribute  largely  to 
render  the  house  a  delightful  residence." 


324  ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC. 

These  villages  have  been  the  models  of  many  in  the 
western  part  of  New  York,  and  still  farther  west.  The 
buildings  in  some  of  these  villages,  especially  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  are  superior  to  those  of  New 
England.  Who  has  not  admired  the  beautiful  location 
of  Canandaigua,  Geneva,  and  Skaneateles,  upon  their 
lovely  lakes  ?  The  refined  taste  exhibited  in  their  style 
of  building  too,  has  excited  the  surprise  and  pleasure 
of  travellers.  We  have  been  accused  of,  a  want  of 
patriotic  and  generous  feelings  as  a  nation ;  of  possess- 
ing strong  individuality  of  feeling  and  interest,  amount- 
ing to  absolute,  controlling  selfishness.  This  accusation 
may,  or  may  not  be  true ;  it  is  perhaps  as  difficult  for 
us  to  know  ourselves  as  a  nation,  as  the  wise  Milesian 
considered  it  for  each  one  to  be  acquainted  with  him- 
self. It  is  certain  that  we  have  too  few  objects  of 
common  interest.  Every  state,  county,  and  even 
village,  is  divided  into  innumerable  jarring  and  con- 
tending parties  and  sects.  Though  a  prosperous,  we 
are  not  a  cheerful  people.  Anything  that  would  con- 
tribute to  unite  public  feeling,  by  bringing  men  Jp  act 
together  for  the  general  good,  would  be  a  great  benefit 
to  a  community.  Suppose  it  to  be  a  public  garden 
and  promenade,  open  and  free  to  all.  Every  villager 
contributes  according  to  his  means  to  this  object. 
Some  suitable  persons  are  chosen  to  lay  out  the 
grounds,  others  to  keep  them  in  order.  It  belongs  to 
the  village,  it  must  be  beautiful,  for  the  good  of  the 
village.    It  is  a  common  object  of  thought,  feeling, 


ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC.  B2o 

and  action.  The  moral  influence  of  it  will  soon  be 
felt.  The  men,  instead  of  going  to  the  tavern  for  the 
news,  may  walk  out  at  the  sweet  hour  of  summer 
twilight,  and  beneath  spreading  trees  enjoy  the  society 
of  his  neighbours,  and  at  the  same  time  have  his  chil- 
dren under  his  eye. 

''Who  can  say  enough  in  praise  of  the  Pareo  ?* 
(The  Prado,  or  place  for  the  evening  promenade.)  It 
furnishes  an  amusement  at  once  delightful  and  inno- 
cent, and  from  which  not  even  the  poorest  are  ex- 
cluded ;  a  school  where  the  public  manners,  and  the 
public  morals  are  beautified  and  refined  by  social  in- 
tercourse, and  by  mutual  observation  ;  where  families 
meet  families,  and  friends  meet  friends,  as  upon  a 
neutral  ground,  inform  themselves  of  each  other's 
affairs,  unrestrained  by  ceremonial,  and  keep  alive  an 
intimacy,  without  the  formalities  of  a  visit.  In  these 
delightful  associations,  persons  of  every  rank  and  every 
calling  forget  their  exclusive  pretensions,  whilst  the 
softer  sex,  to  whom  belong  the  attributes  of  modesty 
and  grace,  banish  indecorum,  and  shed  a  charm  over 
the  whole  assemblage." 

If  this  public  garden  or  promenade  were  richly  and 
tastefully  Pranged  and  ornamented,  a  desire  for  neat 
and  pleasant  dwelling-houses  would  naturally  arise 
among  the  villagers.  Lord  Kames,  in  his  "  Elements 
of  Criticism,"  remarks,  that,  ''  In  Scotland,  the  regu- 
larity and  polish  even  of  a  turnpike-road  has  some 


*  A  Year  in  Spain,  by  an  American. 


326  ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC. 

influence  of  this  kind  upon  the  people  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. They  become  fond  of  regularity  and  neat- 
ness; which  is  displayed  first  upon  their  yards  and 
little  enclosures,  and  next  within  doors.  A  taste  for 
regularity  and  neatness,  thus  acquired,  is  extended  by 
degrees  to  dress,  and  even  to  behaviour  and  manners." 

Two  little  girls  from  a  city,  had  one  day  taken  a 
long  walk  beyond  the  city,  upon  a  public  road.  A 
sudden  shower  of  rain  threatened  to  drench  them  to 
the  skin.  Several  houses  upon  the  road  offered  them- 
selves as  places  of  shelter ;  the  youngest  girl  proposed 
to  enter  the  nearest  one.  No,"  said  the  elder,  we 
will  not  go  in  here,  nor  into  the  next,  but  yonder  is  a 
neat,  pretty  cottage,  with  flowers  in  the  front  yard ;  I 
know  they  will  be  kind  there."  But  this  is  the 
biggest  house,"  urged  the  younger  sister.  Oh !  but 
I  am  afraid  to  go  in  here,  it  looks  so  dirty  and  care- 
less ;  hurry,  hurry,  sister !  for  I  know  they  will  treat 
us  well  where  they  take  so  much  paiiis  with  their  neat 
house  and  garden."  And  the  girl's  reasoning  was 
correct.  There  was  gentleness  and  kindness  within, 
as  well  as  neatness  and  taste  without. 

Would  it  not  be  well  if  some  of  our  statesmen  would 
condescend  to  pay  more  attention  to  this  subject  ?  How 
often  might  they  become  public  benefactors,  at  a  small 
expense  of  time  and  money,  if  they  were  men  of  culti- 
vated taste  and  generous  public  spirit !  Those  beautiful 
avenues  of  elms  in  the  city  of  New  Haven,  are  they 


ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC.  327 

not  graceful,  magnificent  monuments  to  the  memory 
of  the  noble  statesman  who  placed  them  there  ?  Who 
can  estimate  the  influence  that  his  tasteful  benevolence 
has  exerted  upon  the  community  to  which  he  was  so 
great  a  benefactor  ? 

On  a  review  of  this  subject,  it  may  be  urged,  that 
we  are  a  business  people,  an  industrious  people;  we 
have  no  time  to  devote  to  amusements;  besides,  we 
are  a  serious  people,  and  such  objects  as  are  here  pro- 
posed, are  not  in  unison  with  our  habits  and  feelings. 
Our  cities  must  grow  up  and  increase  as  they  have 
done  hitherto,  without  the  fostering  hand  of  taste ;  we 
are  young,  and  not  yet  prepared  for  such  improve- 
ments, if  indeed  they  are  improvements.  With  due 
deference  to  those  who  differ,  and  with  becoming  mo- 
desty, we  must  still  urge  that  the  purity  of  morals,  the 
simplicity  and  sobriety  of  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  would  not  be  endangered  by  suitable  attention 
to  the  cultivation  of  a  taste  for  architecture,  and  the 
beautifying  of  cities  and  villages.  It  is  as  easy  to  plan 
a  city,  a  village,  or  a  building,  in  good  taste,  as  in  bad 
taste,  and  as  cheap  too,  since  that  is  an  all-important 
consideration.  Simplicity  of  style  in  architecture  is  in 
itself  a  beauty.  A  Doric  temple  is  perfectly  simple, 
yet  what  object  of  art  is  more  imposing  and  beautiful  1 
We  have  wealth  enough,  if  we  have  only  taste  to  use 
it,  to  render  our  country  as  superior  in  artificial,  as  it  is 
in  natural  beauty,  to  almost  any  country  in  the  wide 


328  ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC. 

world.  When  Athens  was  at  the  height  of  her  glory 
and  splendour,  she  had  not  one  quarter  of  the  popula- 
tion or  the  wealth  that  the  State  of  New  York  now 
possesses.  And  New  York  is  arousing  herself  like  a 
giantess,  and  soon,  we  trust,  will  exhibit  to  the  world 
buildings  which,  for  "nobleness  of  design,  vastness 
and  grandeur  of  conception,  proportion  and  harmony 
of  parts,"  shall  rival  the  decaying  glories  of  republican 
Athens. 

But  this  is  not  what  we  would  mainly  urge.  There 
may,  and  ought  to  be  taste,  and  even  elegance,  where 
there  is  but  little  wealth.  Every  town  and  village 
may  appear  beautiful,  if  proper  attention  be  paid  to 
the  houses  and  grounds.  A  rustic  farm-house  may  be 
convenient  and  picturesque.  A  turnpike  gate,  now 
a  most  unsightly  object,  might  be  made  even  orna- 
mental. If  we  are  not  yet  prepared  for  these  things, 
we  ought  to  be.  Professing  ourselves  free,  liberal,  en- 
lightened, refined^  without  any  perception  of  beauty ! 

"  Beauty  was  sent  from  Heaven, 
The  lovely  ministress  of  truth  and  good, 
In  this  dark  world ;  for  truth  and  good  are  one, 
And  Beauty  dwells  in  them,  and  they  in  her, 
With  like  participation.    Wherefore  then, 
O  sons  of  earth  !  would  ye  dissolve  the  tie  ?" 

Does  any  one  fear  that  our  morality,  nay,  even  our 
holy  religion,  may  be  endangered  by  the  cultivation 
of  taste? 


ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC.  329 

"  On  virtue  can  alone  a  kingdom  stand  ; 
On  public  virtue  ;  every  virtue  join'd. 
For  lost,  this  social  cement  of  mankind, 
The  greatest  empires,  by  scarce  felt  degrees, 
Will  moulder  soft  away,  till  tottering  loose, 
They  prone  at  last,  to  total  ruin  rush." 

What  then  must  preserve  the  public  virtue?  In 
the  language  of  the  poet  just  quoted,  we  ansv^er : — 

"  Sweet-featured  Peace ;  fearless  Truth  ; 
Fitm  Resolution  ;  Goodness,  blessing  all 
That  can  rejoice  ;  Contentment,  surest  friend  : — 

True-judging,  moderate  desires ; 
Economy  and  Taste  combined,  direct 
The  clear  affairs,  and  from  debauching  fiends 
Secure  the  kingdom." 

We  can  scarcely  conceive  of  a  more  effectual  check 
to  extravagance  and  licentiousness,  than  careful  culti- 
vation of  the  Fine  Arts.  They  may  be  a  consequence 
of  luxury,  but  they  do  not  produce  it.  Luxury  may 
lead  to  sensuality  and  extravagance ;  but  it  is  not  w^hen 
employed  upon  useful  v^^orks  of  art,  or  in  giving  beauty 
to  objects  of  sight,  that  it  endangers  public  morals. 
We  should  be  careful  to  separate  the  luxury  and  licen- 
tiousness from  the  fine  arts  v^^hich  have  been  cultivated, 
when  and  where  they  also  have  prevailed,  and  have 
led  to  the  final  destruction  of  a  nation.    It  was  not  the 


330  ARRANGEMENTS  OF  A  CITY,  ETC. 

Parthenon,  nor  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Olympus,  that 
brought  the  Greeks  to  destruction.  A  false  system  of 
religion,  war  and  a  love  of  conquest,  licentiousness 
and  falsehood,  effected  what  Darius  and  Xerxes  were 
unable  to  accomplish. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 1. 

CEMETERIES. 

There  is  one  thing  more  to  be  mentioned — the 
cemetery.  For  too  many  years  these  places  of  solemn 
and  mournful  memories  were  merely  places  of  quiet 
deposit.  We  seemed  not  to  honour  the  departed  even 
as  much  as  the  Mahomedans.  Even  the  untutored 
Indian  holds  sacred  the  burial-place  of  his  ancestors, 
and  his  vengeance  is  implacable  against  him  who 
dares  to  violate  their  resting-place. 

With  the  increase  of  civilization  and  refinement,  a 
taste  for  the  beautiful  and  sublime  is  induced ;  but  the 
exalted  principles  of  Christianity  evoke  a  deeper  senti- 
ment, which  leads  us  to  hallow  the  grave  where  rest 
the  remains  of  our  beloved  ones,  till  the  last  trumpet 
shall  summon  them  to  put  on  immortality. 

"  There  is  certainly  no  place,  not  even  the  church 
itself,  where  it  is  more  desirable  that  our  religion  should 
be  present  to  our  mind,  than  the  cemetery ;  which  must 
be  regarded  either  as  the  end  of  all  things,  or  the  last, 
melancholy,  hopeless,  resort  of  perishing  humanity, 
the  sad  and  fearful  portion  of  man,  which  is  to  involve 


332 


CEMETERIES. 


body  and  soul  alike  in  endless  night,  or,  on  the  other 
hand,  as  the  gateway  to  a  glorious  immortality,  the 
passage  to  a  brighter  world,  whose  splendours  beam 
even  upon  the  dark  chambers  of  the  tomb.  It  is  from 
the  very  brink  of  the  grave,  where  rest  the  mortal  re- 
mains of  those  whom  we  have  best  loved,  that  Chris- 
tianity speaks  to  us  in  its  most  triumphant  soul-exalt- 
ing words,  of  victory  over  death,  and  a  life  to  come."* 
Every  city  and  every  town  should  have  the  cemetery 
placed  at  some  distance  from  them,  away  from  the 
bustle  and  distracting  din  of  busy  life,  where  the  asso- 
ciations are  of  a  soothing  and  elevating  character. 
Appropriations  of  ground  for  this  purpose  have  been 
made  by  most  of  our  larger  cities ;  and  our  villages  are, 
with  pious  sentiment  and  refined  taste,  beautifying  their 
burying-grounds. 

"  The  grave  should  be  surrounded  by  everything 
that  might  inspire  tenderness  and  veneration  for  the 
dead,  (says  Washington  Irving,)  or  that  might  win  the 
living  to  virtue ;  it  is  the  place,  not  of  disgust  and  dis- 
may, but  of  sorrow  and  meditation. 

"  Let  us  be  careful,  however,  in  our  anxiety  to  escape 
from  gloom  and  horror,  not  to  run  into  the  opposite 
extreme  of  meretricious  gaudiness."  The  solemn 
realities  of  death  are  not  to  be  shut  out  of  sight  by  the 
paltry  ornaments  and  misplaced  conceits  of  fashion- 
able prettiness."     The  cemetery  should  be  placed 


*  North  American  Review. 


CEMETERIES. 


333 


among  venerable  woods,  shut  out  from  the  ^'  working- 
day  world,"  where  no  sound  can  reach  the  spot  but 
the  low  murmur  of  the  wind  through  the  summer 
leaves,  or  the  sighing  of  the  storm  through  the  wintry- 
branches,  realizing,  if  any  situation  could  do  so,  the 
description  of  the  poet : 

"  There  is  a  calm  for  those  who  weep, 
A  rest  for  weary  pilgrims  found ; 
They  softly  lie  and  sweetly  sleep 
Low  in  the  ground." 

These  chosen  spots  must  be  enclosed,  and  the  aid  of 
art  is  demanded  for  these  enclosures  and  their  gate- 
ways for  chapels  and  monuments. 

Enclosures. — Heavy  walls  have  been  erected  in  many 
places,  where  iron  raiUngs  might  have  answered  a 
better  purpose  for  enclosures.  But  where  the  place 
originally  selected  has,  through  the  increase  of  popu- 
lation, been  brought  into  close  proximity  with  the  town 
or  village,  high  walls  may  be  needed  to  give  the  spot 
within,  the  air  of  seclusion  and  quietness  most  desirable 
for  solemn  meditation  and  mournful  remembrances. 

Gateways. — These  may  be  built  of  sufficient  size  to 
accommodate  the  gate-keeper  with  a  place  of  residence. 
The  Egyptian  style  has  been  adopted  in  many  in- 
stances for  these  ornamental  entrances.  Its  massive- 
ness  may  have  recommended  it,  as  conveying  ideas  of 
duration  and  strength ;  but  what  other  association  can 


9U 


CEMETERIES. 


it  have,  appropriate  to  a  Christian  cemetery?  The 
emblems  are  such  as  paganism  suggested ;  the  form  of 
the  structure  is  that  of  the  propylon  which  guarded 
the  entrance  to  the  temples  of  idolatry. 

Grecian  gateways  are  far  more  beautiful;  but  ''there 
is  no  analogy  between  the  classical  style  of  architecture 
and  a  Christian  burial-place."  ''But  there  is  a  style 
which  belongs  peculiarly  to  Christianity,  and  owes  its 
existence  even  to  this  religion ;  whose  very  ornaments 
remind  one  of  the  joys  beyond  the  grave ;  whose  lofty  * 
vaults  and  arches  are  crowded  with  the  forms  of  pro- 
phets, and  martyrs,  and  beatified  spirits,  and  seem  to 
resound  with  the  choral  hymns  of  angels  and  arch- 
angels. But  peculiarly  are  its  power  and  sublimity 
displayed  in  the  monuments  it  rears  over  the  tomb — 
the  architecture  of  Christianity,  the  sublime,  the  glo- 
rious Gothic." 

Chapels. — These  have  usually  been  built  in  the 
Gothic  style.  Mount  Auburn  and  Laurel  Hill  have 
appropriate  edifices  of  this  kind.  The  Monument 
Cemetery  has  a  chapel,  (Plate  XXII.,)  which  an- 
swers the  double  purpose  of  a  gateway  and  a  place  for 
religious  services. 

Architecture  and  sculpture  have  from  time  imme- 
morial been  employed  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of 
the  dead.  Monuments  are  raised  as  memorials  of  the 
glory  of  the  departed,  far  from  the  place  where  their 


*  Architectural  Magazine. 


CEMETERIES. 


335 


remains  are  interred,  or  they  are  shrines  or  sepulchres 
for  the  dust  of  death.  The  monument  rejoices, — the 
sepulchre  mourns."  This  beautiful  sentiment  would 
seem  to  forbid  the  erection  of  splendid  monuments  by 
private  affection.  "  All  monuments  to  individuals  are, 
to  a  certain  extent,  triumphant." 

Hence,  there  should  be  the  proper  expression,  in 
these  consecrated  shrines.  Simplicity, — pure,  chaste 
simplicity,  for  the  memento  of  private  affection  and 
grief,  magnificence  and  beauty,  when  a  nation  per- 
petuates the  glory  of  the  departed. 

Free  scope  should  be  given  to  individuals  for  the 
exercise  of  taste  and  feeling  in  selecting  shrines  for 
their  loved  ones.  "  They  are  instructive  records  for 
those  who  wander  among  them,  musing  on  the  mystery 
of  their  own  existence,"  and  care  should  be  taken,  that 
they  be  appropriate  to  the  character  of  the  departed  ; 
that  the  associations  should  all  be  harmonious. 

"The  grave  must  always  have  a  home-feeling  about 
its  peace;  it  should  have  little  connexion  with  the 
various  turbulence  which  has  passed  by  for  ever ;  it 
should  be  the  dwelling-place  and  the  bourne  of  the 
affections." 

"  The  dead,  the  dead  !  the  precious  dead, 

O  bear  them  from  the  noisy  tread, 

And  crowded  haunts  of  busy  men, 

To  the  sunlit  mount  and  vine-clad  glen  ; 

Where  the  mourner,  bending  o'er  the  stone, 

May  pour  her  tears,  and  breathe  her  moan, 


336 


CEMETERIES. 


In  the  luxury  of  grief  alone  ; 
And  no  profane  step  intrude, 
Upon  the  silent  solitude." 

To  carry  out  the  expression,  and  appropriate  asso- 
ciations of  a  monument  erected  by  those  who  would 
honour  "  the  mighty  dead,"  such  localities  should  be 
chosen  as  will  best  suit  the  character  of  the  person 
thus  commemorated. 

"  The  monument  to  the  Swiss,  who  fell  at  Paris, 
defending  the  king,  in  1790,  is  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  land  in  which  their  faithfulness  was  taught  and 
cherished,  and  whose  children  they  best  approved 
themselves  in  death ;  it  is  cut  out  in  their  native  crags, 
in  the  midst  of  their  beloved  mountains.  A  tall  crag 
of  gray  limestone  rises  in  a  hollow  behind  the  town  of 
Lucerne  ;  it  is  surrounded  by  thick  foliage  of  various 
and  beautiful  colour;  a  small  stream  falls  gleaming 
through  one  of  its  fissures,  and  finds  its  way  into  a 
deep,  clear,  and  quiet  pool  at  its  base,  an  everlasting 
mirror  of  the  bit  of  bright  sky  above,  that  lightens 
between  the  dark  spires  of  the  uppermost  pines.  There 
is  a  deep  and  shadowy  hollow  at  the  base  of  the  cliff, 
increased  by  the  chisel  of  the  sculptor ;  and  in  the 
darkness  of  its  shade,  cut  in  the  living  rock,  lies  a 
dying  lion,  with  its  foot  on  a  shield  bearing  the  fleur- 
de-lis,  and  a  broken  lance  in  its  side." 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  and  appropriate  sites 
for  the  monument  of  a  hero,  may  be  seen  on  the  banks 


Plate  mm 


CEMETERIES. 


337 


of  the  Hudson  River.  Amid  the  evergreens  that  crov^n 
the  summit  of  the  frowning  Palisades,  and  where  they 
are  shaken  by  the  cannon  of  West  Point,  rises  the 
monument  of  Kosciusko. 

It  would  be  impossible  in  the  brief  space  allotted  to 
this  topic,  to  name  all  the  cemeteries  in  our  country 
that  challenge  admiration. 

Greenwood  Cemetery  near  New  York,  is  beautifully 
situated,  and  contains  many  magnificent  monuments. 

The  "  burying-ground"  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
has  long  been  celebrated  for  its  beauty.  It  has  recently 
been  enclosed  with  a  massive  wall  on  three  sides,  and 
a  bronzed  iron  fence  in  front.  The  entrance  is  of  free- 
stone, in  the  Egyptian  style.  (Plate  XXXIII.)  H. 
Austin  architect. 

Mount  Auburn,  near  Boston,  for  its  great  extent, 
and  the  uncommon  variety  and  beauty  of  its  natural 
scenery,  has  been  justly  placed  among  the  most  beauti- 
ful. The  hillside,  with  its  verdant  covering  of  fresh 
grass  and  aspiring  trees ;  the  sequestered  glen,  where 
the  bright  waters  of  the  miniature  lakes  reflect  the 
clear  sky  and  passing  clouds ;  the  flowers,  the  birds, 
and  the  squirrels,  all  give  to  this  lovely  spot  the  cha- 
racter of  sweet  and  tranquil  rural  retirement.  It  is 
rarely  that  a  spot  can  be  found  so  near  a  city,  where 
nature  has  been  left  in  primitive  and  beautiful  sim- 
plicity, to  receive  the  congregation  of  the  dead. 

Laurel  Hill,  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  is  another 
rural  cemetery,  consecrated  to  the  repose  of  the  dead, 

22 


338 


CEMETERIES. 


by  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia.  Every  mind  capable 
of  appreciating  the  beautiful  in  nature,  must  admire 
its  gentle  declivities,  its  expansive  lawns,  its  hill  beet- 
ling over  the  picturesque  stream,  its  rugged  ascents, 
its  flowery  dells,  its  rocky  ravines,  and  its  river- washed 
borders." 

In  bumble  imitation  of  the  Almighty  Artificer,  man 
becomes  the  creator  of  beauty  ;  he  decorates  his  earth- 
ly habitation,  and  his  final  resting-place.  The  sense 
of  the  beautiful,  and  the  power  to  produce  it,  are  among 
the  gifts  of  his  higher  nature,  to  be  perfected  v^hen  the 
"  mortal  shall  put  on  immortality." 

"  Thanks  for  each  gift  divine  ! 

Eternal  praise  be  thine, 
Blessing  and  love,  O  thou  that  hearest  prayer ! 

Let  the  hymn  pierce  the  sky, 

And  let  the  tombs  reply  ! 
For  seed  that  waits  the  harvest  time,  is  there. 


Plate  XXX  IV 


BANK  or  NORTH  AMERICA  PHIi  ^ 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE 


OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  ARCHITECTS,  BEFORE  AND 
SINCE  THE  CHRISTIAN  ERA.* 

B.  C. 

1400.  Trophonius  and  Agamades  are  said  to  have 
been  the  sons  of  a  Boeotian  King.  Thej  built  the 
renowned  Temple  of  Apollo,  at  Delphos.  Cicero 
relates,  that  after  they  had  completed  this  magnifi- 
cent work,  they  prayed  the  God  to  reward  them 
with  whatever  was  best  for  man ;  three  days 
after,  they  were  found  dead. 

1250.  Dcedalus  was  an  Athenian  of  the  royal  family, 
who  built  the  famous  Labyrinth  in  the  Island  of 
Crete,  and  many  other  edifices  in  various  places. 

1200.  Hermogenes  built  the  Temple  of  Bacchus,  at 
Teos,  in  the  Ionic  order,  remains  of  which  are 
still  seen.  Vitruvius  calls  him  the  father  of  pure 
architecture. 

700.  RJmcus  and  Theodorus,  of  Samos,  rebuilt  the 
famous  Temple  of  Juno,  of  the  Doric  order,  at 
Samos.    Theodorus  was  also  a  sculptor. 

*  Taken  principally  from  Milizia.  The  chronology  is  not  supposed 
to  be  perfectly  acurate. 


340  CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 

650.  Eupalinus,  of  Megara,  constructed  a  magnificent 
aqueduct  at  Samos,  and  other  immense  buildings, 
the  ruins  of  which  are  remaining. 

550.  Pteras  built  a  city  in  Crete,  and  adding  a  letter 
to  his  name,  called  it  Aptera.  Spinthcerus,  of 
Corinth,  rebuilt  the  Temple  of  Apollo,  at  Delphi, 
which  had  been  destroyed  by  fire.  Ctesiphon 
designed  and  commenced  the  famous  Temple  of 
Diana,  at  Ephesus. 

540.  Metaganes,  his  son,  carried  on  the  Temple ;  he 
invented  ingenious  machines  to  carry  the  immense 
columns  from  the  quarry,  eight  miles  distant, 
safely  to  the  temple.  To  this  famous  edifice  all 
Greece,  and  her  colonies,  contributed  for  the  space 
of  two  hundred  years,  when  it  was  burnt  by 
Erostratus. 

500.  Gitiades,  of  Sparta,  constructed  there  the  Brazen 
Temple  of  Minerva.  Chirosophus,  of  Crete,  built 
a  number  of  temples  at  Tiegea. 

450.  Callimachus,  of  Corinth,  invented  the  Corinthian 
capital,  and  established  the  proportions  of  the 
Corinthian  order.  Andronicus  Cyrrhestes,  of 
Macedonia,  built  the  Temple  of  the  Winds  at 
Athens.  It  was  octagonal,  representing  on  each 
side,  in  sculpture,  the  wind  that  blew  from  that 
quarter.  Clcetus^  an  architect  and  sculptor, 
erected  the  barrier  and  Stadium,  near  Olympia, 
where  the  Olympic  games  were  celebrated.  Phea- 
cus  erected  some  splendid  temples  at  Agrigentum, 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


341 


in  Sicily,  the  remains  of  which  may  still  be  seen. 
Lihon,  of  Messena,  erected  the  famous  Temple  of 
Jupiter,  near  Olympia,  in  which  was  the  statue 
of  Jupiter,  by  Phidias. 


FROM   THE  TIME  OF  PERICLES,  TO  ALEXANDER 
THE  GREAT. 

Pericles^  the  munificent  patron  of  the  arts,  was 
himself  an  architect.  By  continually  observing 
the  erection  of  so  many  magnificent  works  at 
Athens,  by  conversing  with  the  most  able  archi- 
tects, especially  his  friend  Anaxagoras  the  philoso- 
pher, who  was  president  of  architecture,  Pericles 
acquired  the  science ;  the  design  of  the  Odeum, 
at  Athens,  is  attributed  to  him.  Ictinus  and  Calli- 
crates  were  employed  by  Pericles  to  erect  a  Tem- 
ple to  Minerva,  called  Parthenon  or  Virgin. 
Phidias  was  also  employed  upon  this  temple,  both 
as  sculptor  and  architect.  A  full  description  of  it 
has  been  given  under  Grecian  Architecture. 
These  architects  erected  many  other  beautiful 
edifices  in  Greece.  Mfiesicles,  by  order  of  Peri- 
cles, built  the  famous  Propylon,  that  magnificent 
portico  which  served  as  an  entrance  and  facade  to 
the  citadel  of  Athens.  At  this  time  Greece 
abounded  with  treatises  on  Architecture;  the 
artists  were  accustomed  to  give  descriptions  of  the 


342 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


edifices  on  which  they  had  been  employed.  Most 
of  these  writings  are  now  lost,  bat  durable  monu- 
ments remain  to  demonstrate  the  perfection  to 
which  the  art  had  attained  in  the  days  of  Pericles. 
420.  Polyclites  built  a  rotunda  of  white  marble  at 
Epidaurus,  and  a  theatre,  which  Pausanias  says 
were  of  singular  beauty."  Demetrius,  Peonius, 
and  Daphnisy  built  some  of  the  most  magnificent 
temples  in  various  parts  of  Greece.  Statyrus  and 
Pytheus  were  employed  upon  the  superb  tomb, 
which  Queen  Artimisia  caused  to  be  erected  in 
Halicarnassus,  to  the  memory  of  her  husband, 
Mausolus,  King  of  Caria.  The  tomb  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  world, 
and  has  given  the  name  of  Mausoleum,  to  monu- 
ments erected  for  a  similar  purpose.  Pytheus 
built  in  Prienne  a  Temple  to  Minerva  Polias,  of 
the  Doric  order,  the  remains  of  whicVi  are  still  to 
be  seen.  Pytheus  described  this  temple  in  a  writ- 
ten exposition.  He  was  so  enthusiastic  a  lover  of 
his  profession,  that  he  asserted,  ''It  behoved  an 
architect  to  excel  more  in  all  arts  and  sciences 
than  the  individuals  who  carried  each  art  and 
science  to  the  highest  summit  of  reputation." 

Scopas,  of  Pares,  an  island  in  the  ^Egean  Sea, 
celebrated  for  its  beautiful  white  marble,  was  a 
sculptor  and  an  eminent  architect. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


343 


FROM  ALEXANDER  THE  GREAT  TO  AUGUSTUS. 
B.  C. 

300.  At  the  period  when  Alexander  enriched  Greece 
with  the  spoils  of  the  various  nations  he  had  sub- 
jugated, architecture  shone  in  its  fullest  splendour. 
It  was  then  introduced  into  Macedonia,  where  there 
still  exists  an  ancient  temple,  having  more  than 
one  thousand  columns  of  the  finest  marble,  jasper, 
porphyry,  &c.  From  thence  it  spread  over  the 
various  countries  which  fell  under  the  dominion 
of  Alexander's  successors.  The  beautiful  ruins 
of  Balbec  and  Palmyra  may  belong  to  this  period, 
as  their  date  is  uncertain.  Balbec,  or  Baalbek, 
stands  in  a  delightful  plain,  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Libanus,  in  Syria.  It  was  anciently  called  Helio- 
polis,  which  signifies  the  same  as  Baal-bek,  the 
city  of  Baal,  or  the  Sun,  the  divinity  to  whom  the 
splendid  temples  were  consecrated,  which  now 
excite  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the  traveller. 
The  Corinthian  order  predominates  everywhere ; 
and  to  grandeur  of  architecture  is  united  the 
beauty  of  sculpture,  of  the  most  exquisite  design 
and  finish.  The  remains  of  Baalbek  vie  with  the 
most  stupendous  works  of  Egypt,  Athens,  or 
Rome.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Palmyra,  in 
Syria,  called  Tadmor  in  the  Desert,  and  believed 
by  som-e  writers  to  have  been  founded  by  Solomon. 
Amid  the  desolation  of  these  splendid  remains  are 


344 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


many  high  towers,  of  five  or  six  stories,  which 
were  used  as  sepulchres  for  this  city  of  the  dead. 
Obhvion  has  for  ever  buried  the  names  of  the 
architects  who  planned  these  beautiful  remains, 
and  a  solemn  mystery  enshrouds  their  works. 
This  magnificent  city  of  Palmyra  was  destroyed 
by  the  Emperor  Aurelian,  when  he  conquered 
Queen  Zenobia,  about  a.  d.  273  ;  a  piece  of  wan- 
ton barbarity,  which  disgraces  the  page  of  history.* 
Dinocrates,  an  ingenious  but  neglected  architect 
of  Macedon,  determined  to  attract  the  attention  of 
Alexander.  He  clothed  himself  in  a  lion's  skin, 
with  a  chaplet  of  poplar  boughs  on  his  head,  and 
a  club  in  his  hand,  like  Hercules.  His  large  sta- 
ture, agreeable  countenance,  and  dignified  mien, 
suited  well  with  this  disguise ;  the  king  was 
attracted  by  the  novelty  of  his  appearance,  and 
demanded  who  he  was.  I  am,"  replied  Dino- 
crates, a  Macedonian  architect,  who  come  to  thee 
with  ideas  and  designs  worthy  of  the  greatness  of 
thy  fame ;  I  have  formed  a  design  to  cut  Mount 
Athos  into  the  statue  of  a  man,  in  whose  left  hand 
shall  be  a  large  city,  and  in  his  right  hand  a  basin, 
which  shall  receive  all  the  rivers  of  the  mountain, 
and  discharge  them  into  the  sea."  Alexander 
inquired  if  there  would  be  sufficient  country 
around  the  city  in  the  giant's  hand,  to  supply  it 
with  food.    When  answered  that  there  would  not. 


*  Wood's  Balbec  and  Palmyra. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


345 


and  that  it  must  be  supplied  by  sea,  Alexander 
declined  the  proposition,  but  retained  the  architect 
in  his  service.  The  fame  of  the  Emperor  and  the 
architect  was  more  effectually  perpetuated  by  the 
building  of  Alexandria,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nile. 
Dinocrates  planned  this  magnificent  city  ;  its 
walls,  fortified  with  towers,  its  aqueducts,  foun- 
tains, canals,  temples,  palaces,  and  streets ;  Cairo 
furnished  an  immense  quarry,  from  which  the 
new  city  was  adorned.  Few  architects  ever  had 
the  direction  of  a  work  so  important. 
300.  Sostratus,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  architects  of 
antiquity,  was  so  esteemed  by  Ptolemy  Phila- 
delphus,  that  he  was  surnamed  The  favourite  of 
kings."  His  greatest  work  was  the  lighthouse  in 
the  Isle  of  Pharos,  considered  one  of  the  wonders 
of  the  world.  It  was  a  tower  450  feet  high,  built 
upon  a  rock,  and  could  be  seen  at  a  hundred  miles 
distance.  It  consisted  of  several  stories,  decreas- 
ing in  size ;  the  ground  story  was  a  mile  in  cir- 
cumference ;  at  the  top  was  an  immense  lantern, 
where  fires  were  lighted  at  night  to  guide  the 
mariner's  course.  On  the  lighthouse  was  the 
following  inscription  in  Greek,  "  Sostratus  of 
Cnidus,  son  of  Dexiphanes,  to  the  gods,  the 
saviours  ;  for  the  benefit  of  sailors."  It  has  been 
said  that  Sostratus  secretly  covered  this  inscrip- 
tion with  cement,  and  placed  over  it  another  in 
honour  of  Ptolemy,  which  in  a  few  years  mould- 
ered away  and  showed  the  first. 


346 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


200.  Cossutius,  one  of  the  first  Roman  architects,  who 
adopted  the  Grecian  orders.  It  is  remarlcable 
that  we  have  no  previous  notice  of  Roman  archi- 
tects, when  it  is  known  that  the  simple  Doric  was 
introduced  very  early  into  Italy,  and  that  the 
Etrurians  were  skilled  in  the  art.  In  their  edi- 
fices they  used  stones  of  immense  size,  often  fifty 
feet  long,  and  thirty  wide.  The  best  artists  em- 
ployed in  Rome,  were,  for  a  long  time,  brought 
from  Etruria.  Herm  adorns ^  of  Salamis,  is  sup- 
posed to  have  built  the  Temple  of  Mars,  in  the 
circus  of  Flaminius,  at  Rome. 

Saurus  and  Batrarchus  were  Lacedemonians 
who  built  several  temples  at  Rome,  at  their  own 
expense.  Not  being  allowed  to  inscribe  their 
names  upon  their  works,  they  perpetuated  these 
by  carving  upon  them  a  lizard  d^ndi  a  frog,  which 
their  names  signify.  In  the  churches  of  St.  Eu- 
sebius  and  St.  Lorenzo,  at  Rome,  may  still  be 
seen  Ionic  capitals  wdth  a  lizard  and  fi:og  carved 
in  the  eyes  of  the  volutes.  They  doubtless  were 
taken  from  some  ancient  temple  built  by  these 
architects. 

100.  C.  MutiuSj  constructed  the  Temples  of  Honour 
and  Virtue,  at  Rome. 

Valerius  of  Ostia,  invented  a  manner  of  cover- 
ing the  theatres  at  Rome,  which  were  before 
without  roofs. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


347 


FROM  THE  REIGN  OF  AUGUSTUS  TO  THE  DECLINE 
OF  ARCHITECTURE. 

FROM  THE  FIRST  TO  THE  FOURTH  CENTURY. 

A.  D. 

1.  The  reign  of  Augustus,  was  the  golden  age  of 
science  and  the  fine  arts  throughout  the  Roman 
empire.  In  the  time  of  the  Caesars,  fourteen  mag- 
nificent aqueducts  conducted  whole  rivers  to  Rome 
from  a  distance  of  many  miles,  and  supplied  one 
hundred  and  fifty  public  fountains,  one  hundred 
and  eighteen  immense  public  baths,  besides  the 
water  which  was  necessary  for  those  Naumachia 
or  artificial  seas  in  which  naval  combats  were 
represented;  100,000  statues  ornamented  the 
public  squares,  the  temples,  streets,  &c. ;  ninety 
colossal  statues,  raised  on  pedestals;  forty-eight 
obelisks  of  Egyptian  granite  adorned  various  parts 
of  the  city.  Nor  was  this  stupendous  magnifi- 
cence confined  to  Rome ;  all  the  provinces  emu- 
lated the  capital.  We  have  unfortunately  but 
scanty  memorials  of  the  architects  of  that  period, 
and  amid  the  stupendous  edifices  we  seek  in  vain 
for  the  names  of  those  who  erected  them.  How- 
ever much  the  age  of  Augustus  may  be  exalted, 
we  cannot  think  it  equal  to  the  age  of  Alexander. 
The  Romans  cultivated  the  arts  more  from  pride 


348 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


and  ostentation,  than  from  refined  taste.  Domitian 
expended  £7,000,000  in  gilding  the  Temple  of 
Jupiter  Capitolinus,  and  caused  several  columns 
of  Pentelic  marble,  that  were  extremely  beautiful 
and  of  perfect  proportions,  to  be  recut  and  polished, 
thus  depriving  them  of  their  symmetry  and  grace. 
Every  country  may  still  turn  to  unrivalled  Greece 
for  models  in  the  fine  arts. 

Vitruvius  PoUio,  was  born  at  Formise,  in  Italy. 
He  may  be  regarded  as  the  father  of  Roman  Ar- 
chitecture. He  wrote  an  elaborate  treatise,  giv- 
ing the  rules  of  Grecian  Architecture,  together 
with  the  names  of  many  ancient  architects  and 
their  works.  He  lived  in  the  time  of  Augustus, 
his  great  work  being  dedicated  to  that  Emperor. 
He  built  a  basilica  justicise,  and  probably  planned 
many  other  edifices ;  but  at  length  overcome  by 
the  jealousies  of  his  contemporaries,  he  gave  him- 
self up  more  to  study  than  to  practice.  If  we  can 
judge  of  an  author's  character  by  his  works,  he 
was  a  man  of  excellent  morals. 

Vitruvius  Cerdo,  erected  at  Verona  a  beautiful 
triumphal  arch  of  the  Corinthian  order. 

C.  Posthumius  and  Cocceitus  Auctus,  were  both 
freedmen  and  architects,  at  Rome. 

Cekr  and  Severus  were  employed  by  Nero  in 
the  construction  of  his  "  Golden  House,"  which 
surpassed  all  that  was  stupendous  and  beautiful  in 
Italy.    The  Emperor's  statue,  one  hundred  and 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


349 


twenty  feet  high,  stood  in  a  court  ornamented  with 
porticoes  of  three  rows  of  lofty  columns,  each  row 
a  mile  long.  The  gardens  were  so  large,  that  a 
pond  in  them  was  converted  into  a  miniature  sea, 
surrounded  by  a  city.  Gold,  gems,  and  other  pre- 
cious materials  were  used  with  reckless  profusion. ' 
The  most  exquisite  perfumes  were  shed  from  the 
vaulted  ceiling  of  the  banqueting  hall,  which  re- 
presented the  firmament  constantly  revolving, 
imitating  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 
The  Emperor  Vespasian  restored  to  the  people 
the  lands  which  Nero  had  taken  from  them,  and 
thus  the  Golden  House  disappeared,  like  one  of 
the  enchanted  palaces  of  Ariosto ;  in  its  place 
rose  the  mighty  Coliseum  and  the  magnificent 
Temple  of  Peace.  Of  these,  and  thousands  of 
sumptuous  edifices  at  Rome,  the  architects  are 
unknown. 

Rahirius  was  employed  in  many  works  by  the 
Emperor  Domitian.  The  Roman  road  called  Via 
Domitiana  was  forty  miles  long,  and  constructed 
with  such  solidity  that  it  seemed  made  for  eternity. 
At  the  point  where  this  way  met  the  Via  Appia, 
were  a  triumphal  arch  and  a  bridge  both  of  white 
marble,  very  richly  ornamented.  Rabirius  is 
believed  to  have  been  the  architect  of  all  these 
great  works. 

Julius  Frontinus  composed  a  work  on  the  Roman 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 

aqueducts  of  which  he  had  the  superintendence 
under  the  Emperor  Nerva. 

C.  Plinius  Secundus,  the  nephew  and  adopted 
son  of  Pliny  the  naturalist,  though  not  an  archi- 
tect by  profession,  planned  many  edifices,  which 
he  has  described  with  great  ability.  What  does 
most  honour  to  Pliny,  is  the  excellent  use  he 
made  of  his  riches,  which  every  opulent  man 
should  imitate;  he  erected  at  Como,  his  native 
place,  a  library,  and  endowed  it  with  funds  for 
the  maintenance  of  a  professor  and  poor  scholars. 

Mustius  erected  a  temple  to  Ceres,  by  order  of 
and  at  the  expense  of  the  above-mentioned  Pliny. 

Apollodorus  was  born  at  Damascus,  and  by  his 
rare  talents  acquired  the  favour  of  the  Emperor 
Trajan.  He  is  celebrated  as  one  of  the  few  inde- 
pendent architects.  His  most  famous  work  was 
a  bridore  over  the  river  Danube.  The  leno^th  of 
this  bridge  was  a  mile  and  a  half,  its  height  three 
hundred  feet.  The  life  of  Apollodorus  was  un- 
happily terminated.  The  Emperor  Adrian  built 
a  temple  to  Venus  and  Rome ;  when  it  was 
finished,  he  sent  a  plan  of  it  to  the  accomplished 
architect,  to  prove  that  it  w^as  in  his  power  to 
build  without  assistance.  Apollodorus,  who  was 
not  a  courtier,  remarked,  that  if  the  goddess  of  the 
temple,  who  was  represented  in  a  sitting  posture, 
should  be  inclined  to  rise  and  take  an  airing,  she 
must  break  her  head  on  the  ceiling.    Adrian  per- 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


351 


ceived  the  irreparable  error,  and  revenged  him- 
self upon  Apoilodorus,  by  taking  off  the  too  candid 
artist's  head. 

C.  Julius  Lacer  flourished  in  the  time  of  Trajan, 
in  honour  of  whom  he  built  a  small  but  elegant 
temple  at  Alcantara  in  Spain.  He  also  con- 
structed a  bridge  over  the  Tagus,  considered  the 
most  celebrated  in  all  Spain. 

100.  Detrianus,  more  of  a  courtier  than  Apoilodorus, 
cultivated  the  good  opinion  of  Adrian,  who  con- 
fided to  his  management  the  greatest  works  that 
were  done  at  Rome.  This  architect  restored  the 
Pantheon,  the  Forum  of  Augustus,  and  many 
other  edifices  that  had  been  burnt  or  destroyed. 
No  sovereign  erected  so  many  buildings  in  all 
parts  of  the  empire  as  Adrian ;  doubtless  many  of 
them  were  from  his  own  designs,  as  he  was  con- 
stantly journeying  through  the  provinces. 

Antoninus,  a  senator  of  Rome,  was  well  versed 
in  architecture. 

150.  Hippias  was  much  esteemed  for  his  peculiar 
ability  in  the  construction  of  baths.  Nicon,  the 
father  of  the  celebrated  physician  Galen,  was  a 
mathematician  and  architect. 

250.  The  Emperor  Alexander  Severus,  was  a  great 
lover  of  Architecture.  Not  content  with  em- 
ploying the  most  able  professors,  he  wished  the 
science  taught  publicly  to  the  youth  destined  to 
the  pursuit.    In  times  so  happy  for  the  art,  it  is 


852 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


astonishing  that  the  names  of  no  architects  should 
have  reached  us.  After  the  time  of  this  emperor, 
that  is,  about  the  middle  of  the  third  century,  we 
may  fix  as  the  period  of  the  decline  of  architecture, 
and  from  that  time  it  became  worse  and  worse,  till 
it  sunk  into  the  lowest  state  of  barbarism.  The 
Emperor  Constantino  despoiled  the  whole  Roman 
Empire  of  statues,  pictures,  bas  reliefs,  marbles, 
and  bronzes,  in  order  to  decorate  Constantinople, 
and  make  it  a  second  Rome,  but  the  architecture 
of  his  new  city  was  as  inferior  to  that  of  Rome,  as 
its  situation  on  the  Golden  Horn,  was  superior  to 
that  on  the  dark  and  troubled  Tiber. 

Meirodorus,  a  native  of  Persia,  obtained  im- 
mense wealth  by  his  profession  in  India,  and  after- 
wards gained  the  friendship  of  the  Emperor  Con- 
stantino, and  induced  him,  it  is  said,  to  carry  the 
war  into  Persia  in  favour  of  Christianity. 
363.  Alypius,  of  Antioch,  held  many  important  offices 
under  the  Emperor  Julian.  It  is  said  that  he  was 
commanded  by  that  Emperor  to  rebuild  the  Tem- 
ple at  Jerusalem,  and  that  when  the  workmen 
were  employed  in  excavating  for  the  foundations, 
fire  issued  from  the  earth  and  destroyed  them. 

Ci/ncz^/e^  was  employed  by  the  Emperor  Theo- 
dosias,  as  an  architect,  but  evinced  so  strong  a 
propensity  to  the  passion  of  avarice,  that  he  did 
not  give  the  necessary  solidity  to  the  buildings 
for  which  he  contracted. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


353 


450.  Sennamar,  an  Arabian,  built  two  palaces  which 
the  Arabs  place  among  the  wonders  of  the  world  ; 
they  say  that  in  each  of  these  palaces  one  single 
stone  unites  the  whole  structure,  so  that  if  it  were 
removed  the  whole  would  fall  into  ruin.  This 
sounds  like  one  of  the  stories  of  Schezerade.  It 
is  farther  said,  that  the  monarch,  for  whom  these 
edifices  were  erected,  fearful  that  the  architect 
would  make  known  the  situation  of  the  important 
stone,  caused  him  to  be  drowned  in  a  ditch. 

Entinopus,  of  Candia,  the  first  who  contributed 
to  the  foundation  of  Venice. 

490.  Aloisus  was  commissioned  by  Theodoric,  prince 
of  the  Ostrogoths,  and  king  of  Italy,  to  restore 
several  edifices  in  Rome,  and  the  surrounding 
country.  This  king's  formula  to  the  prefect  of 
Rome,  on  the  architecture  of  the  public  edifices, 
is  a  curious  document,  commencing  as  follows : 
"  The  beauty  of  the  Roman  buildings  requires  a 
skilful  overseer,  in  order  that  such  a  wonderful 
forest  of  edifices  should  be  preserved  with  con- 
stant care,  and  the  new  ones  properly  constructed, 
both  internally  and  externally.  Therefore  we 
direct  our  generosity,  not  only  to  the  preservation 
of  ancient  things,  but  to  the  investing  new  ones 
with  the  glories  of  antiquity." 

CassiodoruSj  the  greatest  man  of  his  time,  secre- 
tary of  state  to  Theodoric,  was  well  acquainted 
with  architecture, 

23 


354 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


500.  St.  Germain,  Bishop  of  Paris,  gave  the  design  of 
the  church  which  King  Childebert,  erected  in 
honour  of  St.  Vincent. 

St.  Avitus,  Bishop  of  Clermont,  built  the  church 
of  Notre  Dame  du  Port. 

St.  Agricola,  Bishop  of  Chalons,  was  the  archi- 
tect of  the  church  in  his  diocese. 

Dalmatius,  Bishop  of  Rhodes,  ambitious  of  the 
honour  of  becoming  an  architect,  undertook  to  re- 
build his  cathedral,  but  not  succeeding,  demo- 
lished and  rebuilt  it  again  so  many  times,  that  he 
died  without  finishing  it. 

550.  Anthemius,  of  Tralles,  in  Asia  Minor,  and  Isi- 
dorus,  of  Miletus,  built  by  order  of  the  Emperor 
Justinian,  the  church  of  St.  Sophia,  at  Constanti- 
nople. Justinian  was  desirous  of  making  it  one 
of  the  most  superb  edifices  in  the  world.  When 
it  was  finished  he  exclaimed,  "  I  have  surpassed 
thee,  O  Solomon?" 

Chryses,  of  Dara,  was  a  Persian,  skilled  in  the 
construction  of  moles,  dikes,  &c. 

600.  Isidorus  and  Johannes,  built  the  city  of  Zenobia. 

673.  Saxulphus,  Abbot  of  Peterborough. 

700.  Egbert,  Albert,  and  Eaubald,  Archbishops  of  York, 
superintended  and  completed  the  erection  of 
York  Cathedral  during  the  eighth  century. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


355 


FROM  THE  TIME  OF  CHARLEMAGNE,  FROM  THE 
NINTH  TO  THE  FOURTEENTH  CENTURY. 

Perhaps  no  sovereign  ever  gave  more  employ- 
ment to  architects  than  Charlemagne  ;  throughout 
the  whole  of  his  vast  dominions  he  erected  exten- 
sive buildings  of  various  descriptions,  but  unfortu- 
nately, no  written  memorials  inform  us  who  were 
the  architects. 
840.  Romualdus  built  the  first  Cathedral  of  Rheims, 
supposed  to  be  the  earliest  example  of  Gothic 
Architecture. 

900.  Tietland  erected  the  Monastery  of  Einseidela, 
called  the  Hermitage  of  the  Virgin,  in  Switzer- 
land.— Tioda,  a  Spanish  architect,  employed  by 
King  Alphonso. 

1016.  Buschetto  of  Dulichio,  of  Greek  extraction,  built 
the  Cathedral  or  Duomo  of  Pisa,  one  of  the  most 
sumptuous  edifices  of  that  period,  and  the  earliest 
example  of  the  Lombard  ecclesiastical  style. — 
Aldhun,  Bishop  of  Durham.  First  Cathedral  of 
Durham. 

1020.  Pietro  di  Ustamber,  a  Spanish  architect,  by 
order  of  Ferdinand  of  Castile,  built  a  magnificent 
church,  in  which  is  now  the  sepulchre  of  Ustamber, 
with  an  inscription  importing  that  he  was  famous 


356 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


for  supernatural  abstinence,  and  for  working 
miracles.  His  greatest  miracle,  probably,  was  the 
Cathedral  of  Chartres. 

1046.  Alfred,  Bishop  of  Worcester. 

1070.  Alvaro  Garzia,  of  Estella,  in  Navarre. 

1089.  Lanfranc,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 

1092.  Remiquis,  Bishop  of  Lincoln. 

1095.  Karilepho,  Bishop  of  Durham,  began  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Durham. 

1100.  Gundulph,  Bishop  of  Rochester,  built  Rochester 
Castle,  White  Tower  in  the  Tower  of  London ; 
rebuilt  Rochester  Cathedral. —  Odo,  Prior  of  Cray- 
land. 

1115.  Ernulph,  Bishop  of  Rochester,  completed  Gun- 

dulph's  works. 
1123.  Alexander,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  rebuilt  Lincoln 

Cathedral. 

1139.  Raimond  of  Montfort,  rebuilt  the  Cathedral  of 
Lugo,  for  which  the  bishop,  canons,  and  nobles, 
stipulated  to  give  the  architect  an  annual  salary 
of  two  hundred  soldi,  and  in  case  of  their  happen- 
ing any  change  in  the  value  of  the  specie,  thirty- 
six  changes  of  linen,  seventeen  loads  of  wood, 
shoes  and  boots  as  many  as  he  might  require; 
every  month,  two  soldi  for  meat,  a  quart  of  salt, 
and  a  pound  of  wax ! 

St.  Giovanni,  a  nobleman  of  Ortego,  and  St. 
Domingo  of  Calzada,  practised  architecture  from  a 
desire  of  doing  good.  They  repaired  roads,  cleared 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


357 


forests  infested  by  banditti,  built  bridges,  hospitals, 

and  churches. 
1150.  Dioti  Salvi,  built  the  Baptistry  of  Pisa. 

Buono,  a  Venetian,  built  the  celebrated  Tower 

of  St.  Mark  at  Venice. 

Sugger,  of  St.  Denis,  was  distinguished  for  his 

skill  in  Gothic  architecture ;  he  built  the  Abbey 

and  Church  of  St.  Denis,  near  Paris. 
1170.  Pietro  di  Cozza,  of  Limena,  built  the  celebrated 

Great  Hall  of  Padua. 

1174.  GuUelmo,  or  Wilhelm,  a  German  architect;  with 
the  assistance  of  Bonnano  of  Pisa,  he  built  the 
famous  bell  tower  of  Pisa,  called  the  Leaning 
Tower.  The  inclination  of  this  tower  from  the 
perpendicular  is  fifteen  feet.  It  has  been  a  ques- 
tion whether  this  inclination  was  occasioned  by 
accident  or  design.  It  has  stood  for  ages  just  as 
it  now  appears ;  the  probability  is,  that  the  foun- 
dation on  one  side  gave  way  when  the  tower  was 
partly  completed,  and  being  repaired  with  promp- 
titude, it  remained  firm,  but  slanting  in  such  a 
way  that  it  was  impossible  to  give  it  an  upright 
position. 

1175.  William  of  Sens  ;  Canterbury  Cathedral. 
1201.  Isemhert  of  Kaintes. 

Peter  of  Colechurch  built  London  Bridge. 
1209.  Berham,  overseer  of  the  works  of  Sahsbury 
Cathedral. 


I 

358  CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 

Fitz  Odo,  master  of  the  works  at  Westminster, 
under  Henry  HI. 
1220.  Robert  de  Lusarche  gave  the  design  for,  and 
commenced  the  Cathedral  of  Amiens,  which  was 
completed  by  Tomaso  de  Charmont  and  his  son 
Rinaldo,  in  1269. 

Etienne  de  Boniieveil  constructed  the  church 
of  the  Trinity  at  Upsal  in  Sweden,  after  the  model 
of  Notre  Dame  at  Paris. 

Poore,  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  began  Salisbury 
Cathedral. 

1237.  Melsonhy,   Bishop  of  Durham,  built  Durham 
Cathedral. 

1250.  Jean  d'EcheUeSy  built  the  portico  of  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Notre  Dame,  at  Paris. 

Pierre  de  Montereau  built  the  Chapel  of  Yincen- 
nes,  the  Chapel  of  Notre  Dame,  in  the  convent  of 
St.  Germain,  near  Paris,  &c. 

Eudo  de  Montr euil,  a  French  architect,  whose 
style  was  dark  and  heavy. 

St.  Gonsalvo,  St.  Pietro,  and  St.  Lorenzo,  were 
Dominican  friars,  who  were  architects  in  Portu- 
gal, about  this  period. 

Lapo,  a  German,  who  practised  his  art  in  Italy. 

Nicola  da  Pisa  mixed  the  Gothic  with  the 
Lombard  style,  and  erected  many  churches  and 
convents  in  various  parts  of  Italy. 
1270.  Fuccio,  a  Florentine  sculptor  and  architect,  built 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


359 


the  church  of  Santa  Maria,  on  the  Arno,  at  Flo- 
rence. 

Ferrante  Maglione,  a  disciple  of  Nicola  da  Pisa, 
built  the  Cathedral  of  San  Lorenzo,  at  Naples, 
and  many  other  splendid  edifices. 

Marsuccio,  a  Neapolitan  sculptor  and  architect. 
1280.  Arnolfo,  the  son  of  the  German  Lapo,  learned  the 
art  of  his  father,  which  he  successfully  practised 
at  Florence.    His  works  were  much  admired. 

Pietro  Perez^  of  Spain,  built  the  Cathedral  of 
Toledo. 

Robert  de  Coucy  rebuilt  the  Cathedral  of  Rheims. 

Erwin  von  Steinhach,  a  German :  the  celebrated 
Cathedral  of  Strasburgh  was  under  his  superin- 
tendence as  architect,  for  twenty-eight  years. 
Among  the  specimens  of  Gothic  Architecture,  in 
Europe,  this  is  the  most  stupendous.  In  the  in- 
terior, near  one  of  the  large  piers  of  the  transept, 
is  the  statue  of  Erwin,  which  appears  leaning 
over  the  balustrade  of  the  upper  corridor,  looking 
at  the  opposite  piers.  The  ornaments  in  the 
frieze  of  this  church  show  the  taste  of  the  times 
in  which  they  were  conceived.  A  pig  carrying 
the  holy  water,  followed  by  pigs  and  asses  clothed 
in  sacerdotal  habits ;  a  procession  of  asses,  a  fox 
enshrined,  and  other  similar  extravagances  were 
chosen  to  satirize  the  times ;  it  is  doubtful  if  the 
satire,  thus  perpetuated,  had  a  salutary  effect. 
Giovanni  of  Pisa,  son  and  disciple  of  Nicola  of 


360  CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 

Pisa,  was  a  sculptor  and  architect,  who  acquired 
early  in  life,  a  great  reputation.  He  erected  the 
Campo  Santo  of  Pisa,  a  public  cemetery,  where 
he  was  afterwards  buried.  Giovanni  was  called 
to  Naples  by  Charles  I.  of  Anjou,  where  he  built 
the  Castel  Nuova,  and  many  other  admirable 
works.  His  churches  and  other  buildings  are 
grand  and  cheerful. 

1300.  Agostino  and  Angeh  of  Sienna,  were  brothers, 
and  the  most  illustrious  disciples  of  the  school  of 
Giovanni  of  Pisa. 

Andrea  of  Pisa  was  an  excellent  sculptor  and 
architect ;  he  made  the  design  for  the  Castle  of 
Scorperia,  at  the  foot  of  the  Appenines ;  and 
though  he  built  some  churches,  was  more  dis- 
tinguished for  miUtary,  than  civil  architecture. 

Giotto,  a  famous  painter,  was  also  an  architect. 
He  was  born  near  Florence.  At  the  age  of  ten 
years,  he  amused  himself  by  drawing  figures  of 
men,  animals,  buildings,  &c.,  upon  stones,  and 
in  the  sand,  while  occupied  as  a  shepherd-boy. 

Taddeo  Gaddi  excelled  his  master  Giotto,  in 
architecture  and  painting. 

1308.  William  Boy  den,  an  English  architect,  built 
Caernarvon  Castle. 

1310.  A.  de  Bek,  Bishop  of  Durham,  England. 

1319.  Henry  Latomus,  Abbot  of  Eisham,  England. 
/.  Helpstone,  an  English  architect. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


361 


1326.  Hugh  de  Eversden,  Abbot  of  St.  Albans,  Eng- 
land. 

1330.  Walter  Weston  and  Thomas  of  Canterbury,  built 
St.  Stephen's  Chapel,  Westminster. 

Andrea  di  Cioiie  Orgagna,  a  poet,  painter, 
sculptor,  and  architect,  was  born  at  Florence, 
where  he  was  admired  for  his  universal  genius. 

Giacomo  Lanfrani  of  Italy,  built  the  Churches 
of  St.  Francis  at  Imola,  and  of  St.  Antonio  at 
Venice. 

1340.  Jean  Rauy,  a  French  architect,  finished  the 

Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame,  at  Paris. 
1350.  J.  de  Lincoln,  master  of  the  works  in  the  King's 

Chapel,  Westminster. 

William  of  Wykeham,  Bishop  of  Winchester ; 

built  New  College,  Oxford,  part  of  Winchester 

Cathedral,  and  planned  a  part  of  Windsor  Castle. 
1354.  Calendario,  a  Venetian,  built  the  porticoes  around 

the  Place  of  St.  Mark's,  Venice. 

Walsingham,  Prior  of  Ely;  Rede,  Bishop  of 

Chichester. 

1395.  /.  Boterell,  Nicholas  Walton,  Stephen  Lote,  and 
Gainsborough,  English  architects  of  the  four- 
teenth century. 

CMchele,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  founded 
All  Soul's  College,  built  a  monument  for  himself 
in  Canterbury  Cathedral,  made  additions  to  that 
Cathedral,  Lambeth  Palace,  &c. 


362 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


ARCHITECTS  OF  THE  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY. 

Filipo  Brunelleschi  was  a  Florentine,  born  in 
1377.  He  studied  diligently  at  Rome  the  ancient 
works  of  art,  to  qualify  himself  for  his  profession. 
When  he  was  about  thirty  years  of  age,  he  at- 
tended an  assembly  of  architects  and  engineers, 
convoked  at  Florence  to  deliberate  on  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Cathedral.  Brunelleschi  gave  his 
opinion,  that  a  double  dome  could  be  raised  to  a 
sufficient  height,  and  sustained,  without  a  mass 
of  timber-work.  So  preposterous  was  this  con- 
sidered, that  he  was  turned  out  of  the  assembly, 
for  having  presumed  to  insult  the  good  sense  and 
judgment  of  so  many  celebrated  artists.  By 
drawings  and  models,  Brunelleschi  demonstrated 
the  practicability  of  his  scheme,  but  the  prejudice 
against  him  was  such  that  he  returned  to  Rome. 
After  his  departure,  a  more  careful  and  dispas- 
sionate examination  of  his  drawings  and  models, 
induced  the  deputies  entrusted  with  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Cathedral,  to  send  for  the  daring 
architect.  He  undertook  it  with  ardour,  and  com- 
pleted it  as  far  as  the  lantern.  Michael  Angelo 
afterwards  said  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to 
surpass  this  dome.  Brunelleschi  was  the  first  in 
this  century  who  attempted  to  revive  the  ancient 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


363 


Grecian  and  Roman  Architecture.  He  built 
several  splendid  edifices,  and  left  some  of  them 
incomplete  for  want  of  encouragement.  He  was 
a  friend  to  young  artists  and  a  father  to  the  poor. 
His  merit  as  an  architect  was  more  generally 
acknowledged  after  his  death  than  in  his  lifetime, 
which  proves  that  his  genius  and  taste  were  in 
advance  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived. 

1400.  Michellozzo  Michellozi,  a  Florentine,  constructed 
many  splendid  edifices  in  various  parts  of  Italy. 

Giuliano  da  Majano,  a  Florentine,  built  the 
magnificent  palace  of  Poggio,  which  is  a  perfect 
square ;  triumphal  arches,  fountains,  &c. 

1422.  Roger  Keyes,  architect  of  All  Soul's  College, 
Oxford. 

1450.  Christoboloj  an  Italian,  was  employed  by  Maho- 
met II.,  to  build  a  Mosque  at  Constantinople,  on 
the  ruins  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Apostles. 

Baccio  Pintelli,  a  Florentine,  built  at  Rome  the 
Convent  and  Church  of  Santa  Maria  del  Popolo, 
and  many  other  edifices  in  various  parts  of  Italy. 

Bartolomeo  Bramantini,  a  Milanese,  built  the 
Church  of  San  Satiro  at  Milan,  and  other  fine 
works. 

Giovanni  del  Pozzo,  a  Spaniard. 
Andrea  Ciccione,  a  Neapolitan. 
Ridolfo  Fiorivanti,  a  Bolognese.    His  reputa- 
tion procured  him  the  patronage  of  the  Czar  of 


3d4 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


Muscovy,  for  whom  he  erected  several  churches, 
&c. 

1458.  W.  Orchyarde,  architect  of  Magdalen  College, 
Oxford. 

Francesco  de  Georgia  of  Sienna. 

Leon  Baptista  Alberti,  one  of  the  greatest  Italian 
architects,  v^^as  born  at  Florence,  and  educated 
for  a  priest,  but  finally  devoted  himself  to  the 
fine  arts.  He  was  a  sculptor,  a  painter,  a  poet, 
and  a  mathematician,  but  he  is  better  known  for 
his  treatise  on  architecture,  which  is  an  admirable 
commentary  on  Vitruvius,  and  the  many  superb 
edifices  with  which  he  adorned  the  Italian  cities. 
He  was  canon  of  the  Cathedral  of  Florence ;  a 
true  nobleman,  liberal  and  courteous.  Even  the 
rival  artists  of  the  time  have  celebrated  his  amiable 
and  generous  character,  and  acknowledged  his 
superior  genius. 
1472.  Farleighj  Abbot  of  Gloucester,  England. 

Beauchampf  Bishop  of  Sarum. 

Waynejlete,  Bishop  of  Winchester.  Founder 
of  Magdalen  College,  Oxford. 

Bramante  d'TIrhino,  a  celebrated  Italian,  first 
applied  himself  to  painting,  but  at  length  devoted 
his  fine  genius  entirely  to  architecture.  He 
studied  the  ancient  works,  and  became  the  first 
architect  of  that  period.  Michael  Angelo  said  of 
him,  "  It  cannot  be  denied  that  Bramante  is  supe- 
rior in  architecture  to  all  others  since  the  time  of 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


365 


the  ancients."  He  carried  Raphael  the  painter  to 
Rome,  where  he  instructed  him  in  architecture. 
His  name  has  been  immortalized  by  his  grandest 
work — the  design  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  Bra- 
man  te  was  also  a  poet  and  musician.  He  has 
been  accused  of  being  so  anxious  to  see  the  effect 
which  his  buildings  would  produce,  that  he  caused 
them  to  be  executed  with  too  much  celerity,  so 
that  they  soon  needed  repairs.  His  ardent,  enthu- 
siastic temperament  led  him,  doubtless,  into  errors, 
which  a  man  of  less  genius  might  not  have  com- 
mitted. He  died  in  1514,  at  the  age  of  seventy, 
universally  lamented. 

Francesco  Giamberti,  a  Florentine. 
1479.  Ventura  Vitoni,  a  pupil  of  Bramante. 

/.  Alcock,  Bishop  of  Ely. 

/.  Morton,  of  Cambridge,  England. 
1500.  Gahriello  d^Agnola,  a  Neapolitan. 

Gian  Francesco  Normando,  a  Florentine. 

Pietro  Lomhardo,  a  Venetian. 

Martino  Lomhardo,  a  Venetian. 

John  Cole,  an  Englishman. 

Sir  Reginald  Bray,  designed  the  Chapel  of 
Henry  VH.  at  Westminster;  and  other  works 
at  St.  George's  Chapel,  Windsor. 

George  Hylmer,  St.  George's  Chapel,  Windsor. 
1507.  Giuliano  di  Sangalh,  a  Florentine,  built  many 
churches  and  palaces  in  Italy,  which  have  been 
admired  for  their  magnificence. 

Simone  Cronaco,  a  Florentine. 


366 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY. 

1506.  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  born  near  Florence,  was  a 
celebrated  painter,  but  he  gave  mnch  attention  to 
architecture,  planned  an  aqueduct  at  Milan,  and 
wrote  various  works  on  the  art. 

Fra.  Giocando  of  Verona,  built  many  bridges, 
especially  that  of  Notre  Dame,  at  Paris.  He  was 
engaged  with  Raphael  and  Sangallo  in  carrying 
on  St.  Peter's  at  Rome. 

Novello  da  San  Lucano,  a  Neapolitan. 

Rafaelle  D'  Urbino,  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
painters  in  the  world,  continued  the  erection  of 
St.  Peter's  after  the  death  of  his  master,  Bra- 
mante,  and  was  employed  upon  many  other 
buildings  in  Italy. 

W.  Bolton^  supposed  to  have  designed  Henry 
Vn.'s  Chapel. 

John  of  Padua,  an  Italian,  employed  by  Henry 
VIII.  in  England. 

W.  Gibbes,  last  Prior  of  Bath. 

Andrea  Contucci^  an  Italian,  built  many  fine 
edifices  in  Italy  and  Portugal. 

Bartolomeo  and  Guglielmo  of  Bergamo,  in  Italy. 

Maestro  Filippo,  a  Spaniard,  restored  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Seville. 
1520.  Giovanni  di  Ololzago,  of  Spain,  blended  the 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


367 


modern  Greek  style  with  Gothic,  in  the  manner 
called  Arahatedescho. 

Giovanni  Alonzo,  of  Spain. 

Antonio  San  Gallo,  an  Italian,  was  employed 
upon  many  magnificent  works  by  Leo  X. 

Baldasare  Peruzzi  was  an  Italian,  who  early 
exhibited  genius  for  painting,  and  was  patronised 
by  Pope  Alexander  VI.  He  studied  architecture, 
and  wrote  a  commentary  on  Vitruvius.  He  died 
by  poison,  in  1536,  and  was  buried  by  the  side  of 
Rafaelle  in  the  Pantheon  at  Rome.  His  archi- 
tectural style  was  in  fine  taste. 
1530.  Marco  di  Pino,  of  Sienna. 

Andrio  Brioso,  of  Padua. 

Ferdinando  Manlio,  of  Naples. 

Giovanni  Merliano  da  Nola,  an  Italian. 

Giovanni  Gil  di  Houtanon,  planned  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Salamanca. 

Giovan?ii  Maria  Falconetto,  of  Verona. 
1540.  Pietro  de  Uria,  a  Spaniard,  built  a  splendid 
bridge  over  the  Tagus. 

Alonzo  de  Coharruhias^  a  Spaniard. 

Diego  Siloe,  of  Toledo,  built  the  Cathedral  at 
Granada. 

Girolamo  Gengu,  of  Urbino,  and  his  son  Barto- 
lomeo,  constructed  many  palaces  and  churches  in 
Italy. 

Michelo  San  Micheli,  of  Verona,  built  some  fine 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 

cathedrals  in  Italy,  but  was  chiefly  distinguished 
for  his  skill  in  fortification. 

Philihert  de  Lor  me,  of  France,  commenced  the 
Tuileries  at  Paris. 

G.  Allesi,  an  Italian,  built  the  Escurial  in  Spain, 
and  many  palaces  at  Genoa  "the  Superb." 

Sante  Lombardo,  a  Venetian. 

Giacomo  Barozzi  da  Vignola,  called  Vignola, 
from  the  place  of  his  birth,  was  educated  at  Bo- 
logna, from  whence  he  went  to  Rome,  where  he 
completed  his  architectural  studies  in  the  Aca- 
demy of  Design.  He  was  employed  in  France  and 
Italy  upon  many  churches  and  palaces,  and  was 
appointed  architect  to  Julius  III.  On  the  death 
of  Michael  Angelo,  he  continued  St.  Peter's.  His 
treatise  on  architecture  has  been  much  read,  and 
his  work  on  perspective  considered  quite  inge- 
nious. 

Giulio  Pippi,  or  Romano,  from  his  birthplace, 
Rome,  was  a  distinguished  architect,  whose  style 
was  cheerful  and  pleasing, 

Michael  Angelo  Buonarotti,  of  Florence,  the 
celebrated  sculptor,  painter,  and  architect,  was 
employed  in  continuing  St.  Peter's,  and  construct- 
ing the  great  dome  of  that  cathedral.  When  he 
was  made  chief  architect  of  St.  Peter's,  he  was 
advanced  in  years,  and  from  a  religious  feeling, 
stipulated  that  he  should  receive  no  pecuniary 
remuneration  for  that  work.    He  was  of  noble 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


369 


birth,  and  his  father  in  vain  attempted  to  divert 
his  wonderful  genius  from  the  fine  arts.  In  the 
course  of  his  long  life  he  left  many  specimens  of 
his  bold  and  original  plans  in  architecture. 

Eustace  Marshall,  of  England,  clerk  of  the 
works  to  Cardinal  Wolsey,  and  chief  architect  of 
Henry  VIIL 
1550.  Damiano  Forment,  of  Spain. 

Sehastiano  Doya  of  Flanders  was  employed  by 
Charles  V.  and  Philip  IL  It  is  said,  that  falling 
ill,  he  employed  as  the  only  remedy  abstinence, 
of  which  he  died. 

Martino  de  Gainza,  Alonzo  Berruquete,  Pietro 
de  Valdevira,  Pietro  Ezquerra,  Ferdinando  Ruiz, 
and  Machuca,  Spanish  architects  of  the  sixteenth 
century. 

Antonio  Fiorentino,  a  Florentine. 

Jacopo  TalU,  a  Florentine,  employed  at  Florence, 
Venice,  and  Naples,  in  building  magnificent  edi- 
fices. 

Theodore  Havens,  built  Caius  College,  Cam- 
bridge, in  the  eccentric  and  affected  style  that 
prevailed  at  that  time  in  England. 

Domenico  Testocopoli,  a  Greek;  built  several 
churches  and  convents  at  Madrid,  in  a  massive, 
gloomy  style, 

Garzia  d'Emere  ; 

Bartolomeo  di  Bustamente ; 

Giovan  Battista  di  Toledo  ;  Spanish  architects. 

24 


370 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


1567.  John  Thynne,  built  Somerset  House. 
1570.  Giovanni  d'Eerrera,  continued  the  Escurial,  and 
built  the  bridge  of  Segovia  at  Madrid,  and  the 
Palace  of  Aranjuez. 

Pierre  de  Lescott,  of  France. 

Sehastiano  Serlio,  of  Bologna,  employed  by 
Francis  I.,  at  Fontainbleau ;  and  at  Venice  on 
the  Palace  of  Grimani. 

Bartolomeo  Ammanati,  built  the  Palace  Pitti,  at 
Florence,  and  the  beautiful  bridge  of  St.  Trinita, 
which  is  much  admired  for  its  stability  and  light- 
ness. He  built  the  celebrated  Rucellai  Palace  at 
Rome,  and  the  Jesuit's  College. 

Nicholas  Abate,  of  Modena,  a  celebrated  painter, 
was  also  an  architect ;  employed  by  Francis  I. 

Andrea  Palladio,  of  Yicenza,  from  his  earliest 
years  devoted  himself  to  architecture,  and  having 
acquired  a  knowledge  of  classic  literature,  he 
applied  to  the  study  of  Vitruvius,  and  the  remains 
of  Roman  art.  There  are  many  works  by  this 
famous  architect  in  Italy.  He  was  the  familiar 
friend  of  the  learned  and  great,  yet  so  kind  and 
considerate  towards  his  workmen,  that  he  gained 
their  affection  and  veneration.  His  treatise  on 
architecture,  published  at  Venice,  in  1570,  has 
passed  through  many  editions.  His  style  was 
majestic  and  simple,  his  outlines  are  bold  and 
easy,  and  none  of  his  buildings  want  character. 
Giorgeo  Vasari  d'Arezzo,  was  a  great  painter 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


371 


and  architect,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  Michael 
Angelo.  Vasari  built  a  number  of  edifices  in 
various  places,  but  that  for  which  he  is  justly  re- 
nowned, is  his  "  Lives  of  the  Artists." 

Pierre  de  Wit,  a  Fleming,  was  called  "  II 
Candido."  In  a  church  which  he  erected,  in  the 
centre  of  the  white  marble  pavement,  the  print  of 
a  human  foot  is  represented;  standing  at  this 
point,  not  a  window  is  visible,  although  there  are 
a  great  many  as  high  as  the  naves.  This  century 
was  fruitful  in  such  architectural  whims. 

Pirro  LigoriOy  a  Neapolitan  nobleman,  was  em- 
ployed under  Paul  IV.,  on  St.  Peter's,  but  dis- 
agreeing with  Michael  Angelo,  the  Pope  deprived 
him  of  the  charge.  He  was  also  a  painter  and 
engineer. 

John  Shute,  an  Englishman,  who  was  dis- 
tinguished as  a  painter  and  architect,  during  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth. 
1600.  Robert  Adams,  superintendent  of  royal  buildings 
to  Queen  Elizabeth. 

Louis  de  Foix,  of  France. 

Jaques  Androuet  du  Cerceau,  was  architect  to 
Henry  III.,  of  France. 

Vincenco  Scamozzi,  of  Vicenza,  the  supposed 
inventor  of  the  angular  Ionic  capital.  He  wrote 
a  book  on  Universal  Architecture,"  and  built 
two  or  three  theatres. 

Carlo  Maderno,  a  sculptor  and  eminent  archi- 


372 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


tect.    During  his  public  career,  he  witnessed  a 
succession  of  ten  popes,  by  all  of  whom  he  was 
reofarded  with  favour. 
1608.  John  Warren,  architect  of  St.  Mary  Church 
Tower,  Cambridge. 

Sir  H.  Wotton,  author  of  The  Elements  of 
Architecture,"  1624. 

Imgo  Jones,  was  an  admired  Enghsh  architect,  in 
the  reigns  of  Charles  I.  and  II.  Walpole  says,  Vi- 
truvius  drew  up  his  grammar,  and  Palladio  showed 
him  the  practice,"  of  his  art.  He  built  Surgeon's 
Hall,  the  Chapel  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  and  many  other 
buildings  in  England  ;  improving  in  that  way  the 
taste  of  his  countrymen. 

Giovanni  Batista  Alioti,  of  Ferrara,  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Italian  nobles  in  building  splendid 
palaces  and  other  edifices. 

Pierre  le  Muet,  of  France. 

Francesco  Borromini,  an  Italian,  repaired  to 
Rome  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  for  the  study  of 
sculpture  and  architecture.  There  he  was  em- 
ployed upon  several  edifices,  the  reputation  of 
which  induced  the  King  of  Spain  to  send  for  him 
and  to  patronise  him.  He  was  extravagant,  and 
singular  in  his  architectural  designs,  departing  far 
from  established  rules ;  in  consequence,  his  build- 
ings were  many  of  them  left  unfinished.  He  was 
severely  censured  by  the  critics,  and  rival  artists 
supplanted  him;  his  misfortunes  produced  occa- 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


373 


sional  alienation  of  mind ;  in  one  of  his  paroxysms, 
he  seized  a  sword  and  gave  himself  a  wound  of 
which  he  died  ;  aged  sixty-eight. 

Akssandro  Algardi,  an  Italian,  employed  at 
Rome. 

Lorenzo  Bernini,  an  Italian  sculptor  and  archi- 
tect, at  the  early  age  of  ten  years  attracted  notice 
by  his  uncommon  genius  for  sculpture.  His  skill 
as  an  architect  was  shown  in  the  piazza,  colonnade, 
and  staircase  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  He  was 
sent  for  by  Louis  XIV.,  to  complete  the  Louvre, 
but  when  he  saw  the  design  by  Perrault,  he  nobly 
said  that  his  coming  to  France  was  useless,  where 
there  were  architects  of  the  first  class.  He  died 
in  1680,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age. 

Francois  Mausart,  was  born  at  Paris,  where 
he  received  his  education  as  an  architect.  He 
was  so  anxious  for  perfection  in  his  works,  that 
he  sometimes  demolished  them  w^hen  nearly 
completed,  if  he  discovered  even  a  trifling  fault 
that  might  be  remedied.  In  consequence  of  this 
extreme  fastidiousness,  he  completed  but  few  im- 
portant works. 

Alonzo  Cam,  a  Spaniard,  so  distinguished  for 
his  slcill  in  architecture,  sculpture,  and  painting, 
that  he  was  called  ^'  the  Michael  Angelo  of  Spain." 
He  was  a  passionate,  violent  man,  whose  whole 
life  was  tumultuous,  and  filled  with  adventure. 

Claude  Perrault,  of  Paris,  w^as  educated  for  the 


374 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


medical  profession,  but  was  led  by  his  genius  to 
the  study  and  practice  of  architecture.  His  master- 
piece was  the  front  of  the  Louvre,  executed  by 
the  command  of  Louis  XIV. 

Francois  Blondel,  was  first  a  mathematician  and 
military  engineer,  but  afterwards  devoted  himself 
to  architecture,  and  was  appointed  by  Louis  XIV. 
to  superintend  all  the  public  works  in  Paris.  He 
was  also  Director  and  Professor  in  the  Academy 
of  Architecture,  established  in  France  in  1671. 

Antoine  le  Pautre,  a  French  architect,  published 
a  work  entitled  Les  (Euvres  d' Architecture 
d' Antoine  le  Pautre,"  in  1652. 

Jaques  le  Mercier^  a  French  architect. 


FROM  1610  TO  1710. 

Chrismas  Gerard^  an  English  architect  and 
sculptor. 

John  Evelyn,  an  Englishman. 

Sir  Christopher  Wren,  was  the  son  of  an  English 
clergyman,  who  was  chaplain  to  Charles  1.  He 
was  educated  at  the  University  of  Oxford,  where 
he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Astronomy.  In 
1665,  he  went  over  to  France,  to  study  architec- 
ture at  Paris.  On  his  return  from  that  city,  he 
was  appointed  architect  for  the  reparation  of  St. 
Paul's  Cathedral.  After  the  great  fire  of  London, 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


375 


1666,  he  drew  a  magnificent  plan  for  a  new  city, 
which  was  perfectly  practicable,  but  in  conse- 
quence of  disputes  about  private  property,  was 
never  carried  into  execution.  His  genius  was 
employed,  however,  in  rebuilding  many  of  the 
public  edifices  and  palaces  which  had  been  de- 
stroyed. More  than  fifty  churches  were  built  by 
him  in  London  ;  besides,  Chelsea  and  Greenwich 
Hospitals,  the  Monument,  Custom  House,  &c.  &c. 
The  church  of  St.  Stephen's,  Walbrook,  has  been 
much  admired,  but  St.  Paul's  is  his  master-piece 
and  monument ;  for  there,  after  his  long  and  active 
life  was  he  buried,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one.  He 
was  knighted,  twice  sat  in  Parliament,  and  was 
President  of  the  Royal  Society. 

Robert  Hooke,  the  associate  of  Wren  in  building 
many  edifices  in  London. 

FROM  1710  TO  177  4. 

John  Benson,  the  successor  to  Wren. 

Carlo  Fo7itana,  an  Italian. 

Julis  Hordouin  Mausart,  a  Frenchman ;  built  the 
Dome  des  Invalides,  la  Galerie  du  Palais  Royal, 
&c.,  &c. 

Francesco  Fontana,  an  Italian. 

H.  Aldrich,  an  English  clergyman. 

Sir  John  Vanbrugh,  in  the  reign  of  Queen 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 

Anne,  was  the  leading  architect  in  England. 
Walpole  said  of  him,  "  He  wanted  all  ideas  of  pro- 
portion, convenience,  propriety.  He  undertook 
vast  designs,  and  composed  heaps  of  littleness. 
He  seems  to  have  hollowed  quarries  rather  than 
built  houses.  The  laughers,  his  contemporaries, 
said,  that  having  been  confined  in  the  Bastile,  he 
had  drawn  his  notions  of  buildings  from  that 
fortified  dungeon."  Blenheim,  which  he  built 
for  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  was  an  expensive 
pile,  much  ridiculed  by  the  wits  of  Queen  Anne's 
court ;  although  it  has  since  been  considered  the 
finest  modern  house  in  England. 

Robert  de  la  Cotte,  a  Frenchman ;  he  finished 
the  Dome  des  Invalides  and  the  Chapel  of  Ver- 
sailles. 

Nicholas  Hawhsmoor,  a  pupil  of  Wren,  and 
assistant  to  Vanbrugh. 

Alexander  Jean  Baptiste  le  Blond,  a  Frenchman, 
who  was  employed  in  Russia  by  Peter  the  Great. 

Germain  Boffrand,  a  French  architect,  whose 
style  of  building  was  formed  after  the  model  of 
Palladio.  He  was  employed  upon  a  great  num- 
ber of  edifices  at  Paris,  and  drew  designs  for 
several  German  princes.  He  had  a  taste  for  lite- 
rature, and  wrote  comedies.  His  "  Book  of  Ar- 
chitecture" was  printed  at  Paris,  in  1745.  He 
lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 

James  GibbSy  was  born  at  Aberdeen  in  Scotland. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


377 


He  studied  architecture  in  Italy,  and  on  his  re- 
turn, practised  the  art  in  England.  His  style, 
though  mechanically  correct,  has  not  been  greatly 
admired. 

William  Kent,  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
and  studied  in  Italy.  His  taste  has  been  much 
admired. 

Edmund  Bouchardon,  of  France. 

FROM  1774  TO  1  837. 

Francois  Cuviller,  a  Frenchman,  employed  by 
the  Elector  of  Munich. 

Francis  Blo7idel,  was  born  at  Rouen,  was  a 
practical  architect,  and  wrote  several  valuable 
works  on  the  art.  He  was  royal  professor  at 
the  Louvre,  and  architect  to  the  King. 

Earl  of  Burlington,  England. 

George  Dance,  England. 

John  Brettingham,  England. 

John  Rodolphus  Perronet,  a  French  architect, 
skilled  in  the  construction  of  roads  and  bridges. 

Jacques  Germain  Soufflot,  a  French  artist,  who 
built  a  part  of  the  church  of  St.  Genevieve. 

Nicholas  Antoine  Boulanger,  an  accomplished 
scholar,  an  engineer  and  architect,  was  born  in 
Paris,  and  employed  in  various  works  in  France. 

Sir  William   Chambers,  was  of  an  ancient 


378 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


Scottish  family.  He  was  first  employed  in  mer 
cantile  pursuits,  and  made  a  voyage  to  China. 
On  his  return  to  his  native  country,  he  introduced 
the  Chinese  style  into  gardens  and  ornamental 
buildings.  He  was  patronised  by  Lord  Bute,  and 
afterwards  by  George  IH.  His  works  have  a 
chaste  correctness  of  detail,  though  as  a  whole, 
they  are  not  imposing.  He  showed  a  want  of 
taste  in  despising  the  ancient  Grecian  Arcliitec- 
ture.  His  treatise  on  Civil  Architecture  is  con- 
sidered a  valuable  work. 

Joel  Johnson^  an  Englishman. 

James  Stuart,  an  English  architect  of  much 
celebrity. 

Robert  Adam,  was  born  at  Edinburgh,  in  1728, 
and  was  educated  in  the  University  of  that  city. 
He  was  at  first  devoted  to  painting,  but  on  goin'g 
to  Italy,  he  became  a  student  of  architecture,  and 
an  enthusiastic  lover  of  the  art.  After  he  returned 
home,  he  was  patronised  by  the  Earl  of  Bute,  and 
subsequently  by  George  HI.  His  style,  founded 
as  it  was  upon  a  careful  study  of  Roman  build- 
ings, has  been  justly  admired. 

James  Adam,  brother  of  Robert,  was  his  col- 
league and  assistant. 

James  Wyatt,  was  born  in  Staffordshire,  Eng- 
land, about  1743.  He  studied  architecture  in 
Italy,  and  such  was  his  enthusiasm  and  perseve- 
rance, that  he    had  measured  with  his  own  hand 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 


379 


every  part  of  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's,  at  the  immi- 
nent danger  of  his  life,  as  he  was  obliged  to  lie  on 
his  back  on  a  ladder  slung  horizontally,  without 
cradle  or  side  rail,  over  a  void  of  three  hundred 
feet."  At  the  age  of  twenty,  he  returned  to  Lon- 
don with  his  taste  highly  cultivated.  Wyatt  was 
President  of  the  Royal  Academy.  Among  his 
principal  works,  are  the  Palace  at  Kew,  Fonthill 
Abbey,  Huntworth  Church,  Doddington  Hall,  &c. 
He  was  invited  by  the  E  mpress  of  Russia  to  settle 
at  St.  Petersburg,  but  declined  the  offer.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy,  in  1813. 

Sir  John  Soane :  this  eminent  architect  was  a 
native  of  Reading,  in  Berkshire,  England.  He 
was  born,  September  10th,  1752,  and  died,  January 
20th,  1837,  in  his  eighty-fourth  year.  Soane  was 
the  son  of  a  bricklayer.  He  early  discovered 
genius  for  architecture,  and  was  placed  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  as  a  pupil  with  Mr.  Dance  to  learn  the 
art.  In  1772,  he  was  a  student  of  the  Royal 
Academy,  and  received  a  silver  medal  for  a  draw- 
ing. Four  years  afterwards,  he  obtained  the  gold 
medal  for  the  best  design  for  a  triumphal  bridge. 
He  was  introduced  to  George  III.,  by  Sir  William 
Chambers,  and  soon  after  was  sent  to  Rome  to 
pursue  his  studies  for  three  years.  After  his  re- 
turn, he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  works  of  St. 
James's  Palace,  and  subsequently  architect  to  the 
Royal  Woods  and  Forests,  Professor  of  Architec- 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE. 

ture  to  the  Royal  Academy,  &c.,  &c.  In  1831, 
he  received  the  honour  of  knighthood.  He  be- 
queathed his  large  collection  of  works  of  ancient 
and  modern  art,  (The  Soane  Museum,)  to  the 
British  nation,  said  to  have  been  worth  60,000 
pounds  sterling.  In  1835,  the  architects  presented 
him  with  a  splendid  medal,  in  token  of  their  re- 
spect for  his  talents  and  munificence.  His  love 
for  his  art  was  extraordinary,  and  almost  to  the 
last  moment,  he  was  engaged  in  the  study  of  it. 
The  illness  that  terminated  his  long  and  useful 
life,  was  of  short  duration,  and  he  died  apparently 
without  the  slightest  pain. 

John  Linfiell  Bond,  of  England,  died  November, 
1837.  As  an  architect,  he  was  in  knowledge, 
judgment,  and  taste,  inferior  to  none  of  his  con- 
temporaries. 

Note. — It  would  be  very  desirable  to  add  here, 
a  list  of  eminent  American  architects,  but  so  many 
of  the  most  distinguished  are  still  living,  that  we 
must  deny  ourselves  the  pleasure. 


A  GLOSSARY  OF  ARCHITECTURE.* 


Abacus.    The  upper  member  of  the  capital  of  a  column. 
Abutment.     The   extremity  of  a 
bridge. 

Acanthus.  The  leaf  which  forms 
one  of  the  ornaments  of  the 
Corinthian  capital. 

AcantiLUS. 

Acropolis.    A  citadel,  a  Greek  stronghold  or  fortress. 

Acroterium.    A  pedestal  or  base  placed  on  the  angle,  or  on  the  apex 

of  a  pediment. 
Adit.    The  approach  or  entrance  to  a  building. 
Admeasurement.    Adjustment  of  proportions. 

Adytura.  A  retired  or  sacred  place  in  ancient  temples,  which  no  one 
but  the  priest  was  permitted  to  enter. 

Affectation.  Tn  architectural  composition,  an  unnatural  or  over- 
strained imitation  or  artifice. 

Aisle.  When  a  church  is  divided  in  its  breadth  into  three  parts,  the 
two  extreme  outward  divisions  are  called  aisles^  and  the  central 
division,  the  nave  or  middle  aisle.  A  passage  lefl  open  for 
walking  through. 


*  Principally  abridged  from  Stuart's  "Dictionary  of  Architecture." 


382 


A  GLOSSARY 


Alcove.    A  recess. 

Altar.  A  place  on  which  offerings  or  sacrifices  were  made  to  the 
gods. 

Alto-relievo.    High  relief.    Sculpture  projecting  nearly  as  much  as 

if  the  objects  were  isolated  and  complete. 
Ambo.    A  raised  platform  ;  a  marble  pulpit. 
Amphiprostylos.    A  temple  which  has  a  portico  in  both  fronts. 
Amphitheatre.    An  edifice  formed  of  two  semicircles  united,  with 

seals  arranged  all  around  it,  and  an  area  in  the  centre  called  the 

arena. 

Anchor.  An  ornament  shaped  like  an  anchor  or  arrow-head,  used 
with  the  egg  ornament  to  decorate  mouldings.  The  anchor  or 
arrow  and  egg  ornament  is  peculiar  to  the  Ionic  and  Corinthian 
orders. 

Angels.    Brackets  or  corbels  with  the  figures  or  heads  of  angels. 
Annulets.    The  fillets  or  bands  that  ornament  the  Doric  capital. 
Antce.    Pilasters  attached  to  a  wall. 
Aperture.    A  small  or  large  opening. 

Aqueduct.  An  artificial  channel  made  for  conveying  water  from  one 
place  to  another. 

Arabesque.  A  building  after  the  manner  of  the  Arabs.  Sentences 
from  the  Koran,  interwoven  with  foliage  and  geometrical  figures 
for  ornament. 

Arcade.    A  series  of  arched  openings,  with  a  roof  or  ceiling. 
Arch.    A  mechanical  arrangement  of  separate  inelastic  bodies  in 
the  line  of  a  curve,  which  preserves  a  given 


form  when  resisting  pressure.  Circular  arches 
are  called  arches  by  old  writers  by  way  of 


emmence. 


Circular  Arcli. 


A  Rampant  or  Stilted  Arch,  rises  from  imposts. 


Eampant  Arch, 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


383 


A  Saracenic  Arch.    Commonly  called  a  horseshoe 


arch. 


Horseshoe. 


Pointed  or  Gothic  Arches,  are  mostly  formed  by  the  intersection  of 
two  arcs  of  a  circle  ;  among  these  are  the 


Lancet  Arch.    Formed  on  an  acute-angled  triangle, 


and  the  arch  formed  upon  an  equilateral  triangle.  ///O 


I 


Equilateral 
Triangle, 


The  Tudor  Arch.    Used  during  the  reigns  of 
Henry  VIII.,  James  I.,  and  Elizabeth.  'i^- 


Tudor 


The  Ogee  Arch.    Used  frequently  in  the  Decorated 
and  Perpendicular  Gothic. 


The  Oinquefoiled  Arch.    Met  with  occasionally 
in  the  Early  English. 


Oinquefoiled. 


384 


A  GLOSSARY 


The  Romanesque  Arch. 
Sometimes  called  the 
Saxon  and  the  Norman 
Arch  ;  it  is  semicircular, 
and  generally  has  double 
or  triple  arches,  orna- 
mented with  mouldings. 


Archway.  An  aperture  in  a 
building  covered  with  a 
vault. 


Archeion.   The  treasury  of  a 
temple. 


Architect.  One  who  designs 
and  superintends  the 
erection  of  buildings. 


Architectonical.     Skilled  in 


Romanesque  AxcTa. 


architecture. 

Architectural.    Concerning,  or  relating  to,  architecture  as  a  decora- 
tive art. 

Architecture.    The  art  of  building ;  naval,  military,  and  civil.    It  is 

essential.,  and  ornamental. 
Architrave.    That  part  of  the  entablature  which  rests  immediately 

upon  the  columns. 
Area.    A  small  court  or  place  sunk  below  the  general  surface  of  the 

ground,  before  and  level  with  the  floor  of  the  basement  story  of 

a  building. 

Arena.    The  middle  or  body  of  a  temple ;  the  plain  space  in  the 

middle  of  an  amphitheatre. 
Arris.    In  general  language  an  edge. 

Artificers.    Persons  who  work  with  their  hands,  and  manufacture 

any  article  in  iron,  brass,  wood,  &c. 
Artisan.    Artificer  or  mechanic,  not  an  artist. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE.  385 

P 

Astragal.    A  small  moulding,  having  a  semicircular  profile. 

Athenceum.  A  public  place,  wherein  the  professors  of  the  liberal  arts 
held  their  assemblies. 

Atlases.  Statues  of  men  which  supported  entablatures;  called  by 
the  Greeks,  "  Persians." 

Atrium.  A  court  supported  by  porticoes  in  the  interior  division  of 
ancient  Roman  houses. 

Attic.  A  low  story  erected  over  an  order  of  architecture  to  finish 
the  upper  part  of  the  building.    The  upper  story  of  a  house. 

Balcony.  A  kind  of  open  gallery  projecting  from  the  walls  of  build- 
ings, usually  of  iron  fashioned  into  fanciful  figures. 

Baluster.    A  small  column  or  pillar  belonging  to  a  balustrade. 

Balustrade.  A  railing  or  enclosure,  for  use  as  in  staircases,  or  for 
ornament,  as  a  finish  for  the  top  of  a  building. 

Band.    A  flat  member  or  moulding. 

Baiotistry.    An  apartment,  or  edifice,  where  baptism  is  administered. 
Bas-relief.      1     The  representation  of  figures,  projecting  from  a 
Basso-relievo.  3        background,  without  being  detached  from  it. 
Battlement.    A  parapet,  or  wall,  with  indentations ;   first  used  in 
fortifications;  afterwards  for  ornament  on  churches  and  other 


buildings. 


386 


A  GLOSSARY 


Bay-Window.  A  projecting  window, 
sometimes  called  an  oriel  window. 

Bead.    A  moulding,  of  a  circular  section. 

Belfry.  That  part  of  a  steeple  in  which 
the  hells  are  hung. 

Belvidere.  A  turret  raised  above  the  roof 
of  an  observatory. 

Bracket.  An  ornamented  projection,  to 
support  a  lamp,  a  statue,  &c. 

Break.  A  projecting  part  of  the  front  of 
grand  buildings. 

Bronze.  A  compound  metal  used  for  sta- 
tues, &c. 

Buttress.  A  mass  of  masonry,  serving  to 
support  the  side  of  a  wall.  Gothic 
buttresses  are  placed  on  the  exterior 
sides  of  the  building,  between  the  win- 
dows and  at  the  angles. 

Canopy.  A  covering  for  an  altar,  throne, 
or  pulpit. 

Capital.  From  the  Latin  caputs  head ;  the 
head  of  a  column. 

Carrara  Marble.  White  marble,  much 
used  by  the  ancients  for  statuary. 

Caryatides.  Female  figures,  clothed  in 
long  garments,  supporting  an  entabla- 
ture, in  place  of  columns. 

Castle.    A  fortified  building,  with  towers, 

battlements,  &c.  Capital. 

Catacombs.    Subterraneous  places  for  burying  the  dead. 

Catharine- Wheel.    A  circular  ornamented  window. 

Cathedral.    The  head  church  of  a  diocese. 

Caulicoles,  or  Cauliculi.    Slender  stems  under  the  leaves  of  the  Co- 
rinthian capital. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


387 


Ceiling.    The  inner*  roof  of  a  building. 
Cella.    The  sanctuary  of  a  temple. 

Cemeteries.    Places  where  the  bodies  of  the  dead  are  deposited. 
Cenotaph.    An  honorary  tomb  or  monument. 

Centering.    The  name  used  for  the  turning  of  an  arch  of  stone,  or 
brick. 

Chancel.    That  part  of  a  church  in  which  the  communion  table  is 

placed  ;  usually  enclosed  with  lattice-work. 
Chapiter.    See  Capital. 

Chevron.    An  ornament  in  Gothic  Architecture,  sometimes  called 

zigzags  used  for  mouldings. 
Choir.    The  part  of  a  church  where  the  singers  are  placed. 
Choir  agio  Monuments.    Were  erected  by  the  Greeks,  in  honour  of 

the  leader  of  a  chorus  who  gained  a  prize, 
Cliord.    .The  right  line  which  joins  the  two  \ 

ends  of  an  arc. 
Cinquefoil.    An  arch  having  five  interarches 

or  foils. 

Circumference.  The  boundary  line  of  circular 
bodies. 

Circus.  A  large  ovat£  building  for  the  exhibi- 
tion of  popular  games  and  shows. 

Citadel.  A  castle  or  fortress,  generally  occu- 
pying the  highest  part  of  a  city. 

Clerestory.  The  higher  story,  with  small  win- 
dows, in  Gothic  buildings. 

Cloacce.  The  common  sewers  of  ancient 
Rome. 

Cloister.  The  principal  part  of  a  regular 
monastery. 

Clustered  Column.    Several  slender  pillars, 

attached  to  each  other,  in  the  Gothic      Clustered  Column, 
style. 


388 


A  GLOSSARY 


Clustered  Capital. 


Clustered  Capital.  The  capital  of  a  clus- 
tered column. 

Colonnade.  A  row  of  columns  ;  when  in 
front  of  a  building,  they  are  termed 
porticoes,  when  surrounding  it,  peris- 
tyle. 

Column.  A  round  pillar,  the  parts  of  which 

are,  the  base,  shaft,  and  capital. 
Composite  Order.  An  order  form- 
ed by  the  Romans  from  the 

Corinthian  and  Ionic. 
Concave.    Arching  into  the  plane 

of  the  surface  ;  a  common  or 

vulgar  expression  for  concave, 

scooped  out. 
Concentric.    Having  a  common 

centre. 

Cone.    A  solid  which  is  bounded 

by  two  surfaces,  of  which,  IIIMI 
one  called  the  base,  is  a  circle.  Composite  Order, 

and  the  other,  ending  in  a  point,  called  the  vertex,  a  convexity. 

Conservatory.    A  building  for  the  protection  of  plants. 

Construction.    The  art  of  building  from  the  architect's  designs. 

Contour.    The  outline  of  a  body. 

Convex.    Swelling  externally  out  from  the  plane,  in  a  circular  form. 

Coping.    The  upper  tier  of  masonry  which  covers  a  wall. 

Corbeils.    Sculptured  baskets  of  flowers  or  fruit ;  sometimes  placed 

on  the  heads  of  Caryatides. 
Corbels.    Carved  stones  projecting  from  the  wall  to  support  a  parapet, 

serving  in  the  place  of  brackets  or  modillions,  and  under  weather 

mouldings  of  doors  and  windows. 
Corbel  Table.    A  series  of  semicircular  arches  which  cut  one  another 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


389 


in  a  wall  supported  by  timbers,  with  their  ends  projecting  out, 
and  carved  into  heads,  faces,  &c. 
Corinthian  Order.    The  order  with 
a  capital  of  Acanthus  leaves, 
said  to  be  invented  by  Callima- 
chus. 

Corona,  The  projecting  brow  of  a 
cornice. 

Corridor.  A  long  gallery,  or  pas- 
sage, in  a  mansion,  connecting 
various  apartments. 

Cottage.  A  small  house  or  habita- 
tion. 

Cottage  Or  nee.  An  ornamented  cot- 
tage. 


Corinthian  Order. 


Cottage  Ornee. 

Coupled  Columns.    Columns  arranged  in  pairs. 
Course.    A  continued  layer  of  bricks  or  stones  in  a  building. 
Court.    An  open  area  before  or  behind  a  house,  or  in  the  centre. 
Cramp.    A  piece  of  iron,  bronze,  or  other  metal,  used  to  hold 

together  stones  in  buildings. 
Crest  Tile,    The  tile  on  the  ridge  of  a  house. 

Crockets.    The  small  buds  or  bunches  of  foliage,  used  in  Gothic 


4 


390 


A  GLOSSARY 


Finial. 


Architecture,  to  ornament  spires,  cano- 
pies, pinnacles,  &c.,  the  larger  branches 
at  the  top  being  termed  Jinials. 

Cross- Beam,    A  large  beam  going  from 
wall  to  wall. 

Crmvn.    The  upper  part  of  a  cornice,  in- 
cluding the  corona. 

Crypt,    A  subterranean  vault,  generally 
beneath  ecclesiastical  edifices.  They 
probably  were  first  used  by  the  early 
Christians  as  secret  places  of  worship. 

Cube,    A  solid  of  six  equal  square  sides. 

Cubit.    An  ancient  measure,  equal  to  about  a  foot  and  a  half. 

Cupola.    A  dome. 

Cusps.    The  parts  of  the  foils  and  quatrefoils. 

Cylinder.  A  figure  whose  base  is  a  circle,  and  whose  curved  super- 
ficies is  everywhere  at  an  equal  distance  from  the  axis  or  line 
supposed  to  pass  through  the  middle. 

Cylindric  Ceiling.  Vulgarly  termed  a  wagon-headed  ceiling ;  a 
ceiling  vaulted  in  the  shape  of  the  segment  of  a  cylinder. 

Cyma,  or  Cima.  An  undulating  mould- 
ing, which  is  generally  the  upper 
one  of  a  cornice,  when  it  is  called 
cymatium.  The  cyma  recta,  is 
composed  of  a  concave  and  convex 
moulding,  the  former  being  upper- 
most. 

Decoration.    Anything  that  enriches  or 

gives  beauty  to  a  building. 
Decorated  Style.    The  middle  style  in 

Gothic  xA.rchitecture. 
Days,  or  Bays.  In  Gothic  Architecture, 


Decorated. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


391 


the  compartments  formed  in  tall  windows,  by  the  introduction  of 
mullions. 

Decagon.    A  plane  figure  having  ten  sides  and  ten  angles. 

Dentils.    Ornaments  in  a  cornice,  in  the  form  of  teeth. 

Design.    A  drawing  or  plan  of  an  intended  building,  projected  by 

the  architect,  according  to  the  rules  of  art. 
Diameter  of  a  Column.    A  line  passing  through  it  at  the  base. 
Diastyle.    A  term  applied  to  a  building  with  columns  at  the  distance 

of  three  diameters  from  each  other. 
Diminishing  of  a  Column,  is  the  difference  in  the  top  and  bottom 

diameters,  found  in  all  regular  orders. 
Diminished  Arches.    Arches  less  than  a  circle. 
Dome.    An  arched  or  vaulted  roof. 

Domestic  Architecture.    That  branch  of  the  art,  which  relates  to 

private  dwellings,  including  cottages,  farmhouses,  &c. 
Domicile.    A  small  house. 

Donjon.    The  massive  tower  in  the  interior  of  ancient  castles,  to 

which  the  garrison  might  retreat  in  case  of  necessity. 
Doric  Order.    Of  the  three  orders 

of  Grecian  Architecture,  this 

is  the  oldest  and  most  original. 
Dormant,  or  Dormer  Windows. 

The  attic  stories  of  houses  were 

commonly   used  as  sleeping 

apartments,  or  dormitories  ;  the 

windows  opening  from  these 

rooms,  on  the  inclined  plane  of 

the  roof,  were   hence  called 

Dormant  or  Dormer  windows. 
Dove-tailing.  A  mode  of  fixing  two 

boards  together  by  indentures  in 

one,  and  projections  in  the  other,  the  shape  of  a  dove's  tail. 
Drawbridge.    A  bridge  made  to  draw  up  or  let  down  at  pleasure. 
Eaves.    The  overhanging  edges  of  a  roof. 


Doric  Order. 


392 


A  GLOSSARY 


Egyptian  Column.  Early  English. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


393 


Early  English.    The  earliest  Gothic  style,  with  lancet  windows. 
Echinus,    A  convex  moulding  ornamented  with  eggs  and  darts. 
Edifice.    Building,  fabric,  erection. 

Egyptian  Arcliitecture.    The  style  used  by  the  Egyptians. 

Elizabethan  or  Tudor  style.  The  style  which  prevailed  when  the 
earlier  and  purer  Gothic  had  degenerated ;  during  the  reigns  of 
Henry  VIII.,  Elizabeth,  and  James  I. 

Entablature.  That  member  of  a  building  which  includes  the  archi- 
trave, frieze,  and  cornice. 

Fa^jric.    A  term  generally  applied  to  a  large  building. 

Fagade  or  Face.    The  exterior  front  of  a  building. 

Facettes.    Flat  projections  between  the  flutings  of  columns. 

Fascia  or  Facia.  A  band,  a  flat  member  in  an  entablature  or  other 
part  of  a  building. 

Fauxbourg.  That  part  of  a  city  which  is  without  the  gates,  and  the 
fortifications. 

Fillet.    See  Annulet  and  Band. 

Flamboyant.  A  term  applied  to  the 
flowing  tracery  of  a  Gothic  win- 
dow. 

Floor.    The  bottom  of  a  room. 
Florid  Style.     The  elaborately  orna- 
mented Gothic. 
Fluting.    Longitudinal  cavities  cut  on 

the  shaft  of  a  column  or  pilaster. 
Flying  Buttresses.    An  arched  buttress 

formed  of  a  flat  arch,  or  part  of  an 

arch,  abutting  against  the  sides  of 

another  arch  or  vault,  to  prevent 

their  giving  way  in  that  direction. 
Foliage.    An  ornamental  distribution  of 

leaves. 

Font.  A  vessel  in  Christian  churches  of  marble  or  stone,  to  contain 
the  water  of  baptism. 


394 


A  GLOSSARY 


Foot.    A  measure  of  twelve  inches. 

Forum,    A  public  place  used  for  assemblies,  markets,  &c. 

Foundation.  That  part  of  a  building  or  wall  which  is  below  the 
surface  of  the  ground. 

Fountain.  A  building  out  of  which  water  is  made  to  flow  for  the 
supply  of  towns  and  cities. 

Fresco.  The  most  ancient  method  of  ornamenting  houses,  by  paint- 
ing on  stucco  while  it  was  soft  and  damp. 

Frieze.  That  part  of  the  entablature  between  the  architrave  and 
cornice. 

Gable.    The  upright  triangular  end  of  a  building,  in  classical  archi- 
tecture called  a  pediment. 
Gallery.    An  apartment  of  much  greater  length  than  breadth. 
Gaol.    A  prison  or  place  of  confinement. 
Garret.    The  apartment  in  the  roof. 

Gothic  Architecture.    The  pointed  architecture  of  the  middle  ages. 
Granite.    A  primitive  rock  composed  of  quartz,  feldspar,  and  mica. 
Grecian  Architecture.     The  architecture  practised  in  Greece,  in- 
cluding the  three  orders,  Doric,  Ionic,  and  Corinthian. 
Greek  Cross.  A  cross  having  the  transverse  part  equal  to  the  other  part. 
Green-house.    See  Conservatory. 

Groined  Ceiling.  A  surface  formed  by  three  or  more  curved  sur- 
faces, so  that  every  two  may  form  a  groin,  all  the  groins  termi- 
nating at  one  extremity  in  a  common  point. 

Groove  or  Mortice.    The  channel  made  to  receive  the  tenon. 

Grotesque.   A  fantastic  style  of  ornament,  found  in  ancient  buildings. 

Grotto.    An  artificial  cave. 

Ground  Floor.    The  lowest  story  of  a  building. 

Ground  Flan.  An  outline  or  drawing  of  the  foundation  of  a  building. 

Guttce.  Ornaments  of  a  conic  form  on  the  cornice  of  the  Doric 
order,  supposed  to  represent  drops  of  water. 

Gymnasium.    The  public  edifices  of  the  Greeks  for  education. 

Hall.  The  first  large  apartment  in  a  house ;  a  court  of  justice ;  a 
manor  house. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


395 


Heptagon.    A  figure  of  seven  sides  and  angles. 
Hermitage.    The  residence  of  a  hermit. 
Hexagon.    A  figure  with  six  sides  and  angles. 
Hexastyle.    A  temple  whose  principal  facade  has  six 
columns. 

Hindoo  Architecture.     The  Architecture  of  India,  or 
Hindostan. 

Hippodrome.    A  place  appropriated  by  the  ancients  to 

equestrian  exercises. 
Hospital.     A  building  endowed  by  public  or  private  Hindoo  Co- 

charity  for  the  reception  and  treatment  of  invalids,     i^^^i^'  &^c. 
Hotel.    A  large  inn.    In  France,  a  large  dwelling-house  or  other 

building. 

Hunting-tower.    A  tower  built  for  the  purpose  of  giving  ladies  an 
opportunity  of  enjoying  the  sport  of  hunting. 

Hut.    A  small  cottage  built  of  wood  or  earth. 

Ice-house.    A  subterraneous  apartment  for  preserving  ice. 

Ichnography.    The  transverse  section  of  a  building. 

Impost.    The  layer  of  stone  which  crowns  a  door-post  or  pier,  and 
which  supports  an  arcade,  &c. 

Inclined  Plane.  One  of  the 
mechanical  powers  ; 
used  in  building  to  as- 
sist in  raising  ponde- 
rous bodies. 

Indented.  Toothed. 

Indurating.  Hardening. 

Infirmary.  A  public  build- 
ing for  the  sick. 

Intaglio.  Figures  in  relief. 

Intersecting  Arches — sup- 
posed to  have  origi- 
nated the  Gothic  arch. 


Intersecting  Arches. 


396 


A  GLOSSARY 


Intercolumniation,     The  space  between  two  columns,  measured 

from  the  shafts  at  the  base. 
Inter  dentil.    The  space  between  dentils. 
Interpilaster.    The  space  between  pilasters. 

Ionic  Order.    The  Grecian  order,  the  capitals  of  which  are  orna- 
mented with  volutes. 


Ionic  Order. 


Ionic  Capitol.    The  most  highly  ornamented  of  the  Ionic  capitals. 

Jack  Arch.    An  arch  of  only  the  thickness  of  one  brick. 

Jambs.    Door-posts ;  the  upright  sides  of  a  fire-place. 

Jet  d^eau.    Water  thrown  into  the  air  from  a  pipe  or  tube,  and  falling 

into  a  basin  below. 
Joining.    The  smaller  wood-work  of  a  building. 
Keep.    The  strongest  part  of  the  old  English  castles. 
Keystone.    The  stone  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  top  of  an  arch  or 

vault. 

Label.  In  Gothic  Architecture,  the  drip  or  hood-moulding  of  an  arch. 
Labyrinth.    A  building  full  of  numerous  and  intricate  passages. 
Labyrinth  Frett.  An  ancient  ornament,  with  numerous  turnings  and 
evolutions. 

Lacunaria.    The  sunk  panels  or  coffers  in  ceilings. 
Lancet  Arch.    The  sharp-pointed  arch,  in  the  Gothic  style. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


397 


Lantern,  A  turret  placed  above  a  building  and  pierced  with  win- 
dows. 

Lattice.    A  reticulated  window. 

Lazaretto.    A  hospital  for  persons  sick  with  contagious  disorders. 
Lean-to.    A  small  building  whose  side  walls  and  roof  project  from 

the  wall  of  a  larger  building. 
Level.    A  surface  which  inclines  to  neither  side. 
Library.    A  building  or  apartment  to  contain  books. 
Line.    The  figure  which  has  only  length. 
Light-house.    A  high  building  with  a  light  to  guide  ships  at  sea. 
Lintel.    The  horizontal  piece  which  covers  the  opening  of  a  door  or 

window. 

Loop.    A  small  slit,  or  narrow  window. 

Losange  or  Lozenge.    A  figure  of  four  sides,  with  two  acute,  and 

two  obtuse  angles. 
Lunette.    A  cylindric  or  spherical  aperture  in  ceilings. 
Machicolations.   Small  projections  or  apertures  in  old  castles,  through 

which  melted  lead  and  stones  were  thrown  upon  assailants. 
Mansion.    A  large  house. 

Mantel-piece^  or  Mantel  tree.  The  name  formerly  given  to  the  beam 
of  wood  supporting  the  breastwork  of  a  chimney. 

Marble.  A  stone  of  compact  texture  and  fine  grain,  found  in  almost 
every  country  of  Europe,  and  in  Asia,  Africa,  and  x\merica.  Its 
varieties  are  almost  innumerable.  Among  the  most  valuable 
marbles  of  antiquity,  were  the  Fentelican^  Parian^  the  marble 
of  Mount  Hymettus^  of  Thasos,  of  Lesbos,  of  Luna  in  Etruria, 
of  Philleus,  of  Phrygia,  all  pure  white.  The  black  marble  of 
Phrygia.  A  marble  resembling  ivory,  called  Chernites.  The 
Numidian  marble,  or  rouge  antique.  The  black  marble  of 
Tsenarus.  The  celebrated  black  translucent  marble  from  the 
Isle  of  Chio.  The  black  obsidian  from  Ethiopia.  The  green 
marble  of  Mount  Taygetes,  known  by  the  name  of  verde  antique. 


398 


A  GLOSSARY 


The  black-veined  Cyzican  marble.  The  marble  of  Carytiis  is 
a  mingled  green  ;  of  Mount  Atrax  in  Thessaly^  of  mingled 
white,  green,  blue,  and  black;  the  marble  of  Memphis,  resem- 
bling the  skin  of  a  serpent,  called  in  Italy,  11  serpentino  antico. 
The  black  and  red  Mygdonian  marble.  The  Corinthian  marble 
was  yellow  ;  that  of  Cappadocia,  called  Marmor  Phengites,  was 
white  with  yellow  spots.  The  Rhodian  marble  was  marked 
with  spots  resembling  gold.  The  marble  of  Melos,  yellow, — 
jaune  antique. 

Masonry.    The  art  of  joining  stones,  for  the  formation  of  walls,  &c. 
Moresque.    The  style  of  building  peculiar  to  the  Moors  and  Arabs. 
Mausoleum.    A  sepulchral  monument. 
Medcdlion.    A  circular  tablet  with  raised  figures. 
Members.    The  different  parts  of  a  building. 
Menagerie.    A  building  for  rare  and  foreign  animals. 
Mensuration.    The  science  that  treats  of  the  magnitude  of  bodies, 

superficies,  and  lines. 
Meros.    The  centre  of  a  triglyph,  in  the  Doric  order. 
Metope.    The  space  between  the  triglyphs  in  the  Doric  frieze. 
Milliare.    The  Roman  mile-stone. 

Minaret.    A  high  slender  turret,  rising  by  different  stages,  each  of 
which  has  a  balcony ;  attached  to  Turkish  mosques. 

Modillion  or  Modillon.  An  ornament 
used  under  the  projection  and  in 
other  parts  of  buildings  ;  most  fre- 
quently in  the  Corinthian  order. 

Mole.  A  pier  of  stone  to  shelter  ships 
from  the  violence  of  the  waves. 

Monastery.    The  habitation  of  monks. 

Monolithol.    Works  constructed  of  one  stone. 

Monopteral.    A  kind  of  temple  which  had  only  a  cupola  sustained 
by  columns,  without  walls  or  cella. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


399 


Niclie. 


Mortar.    The  calcareous  cement  used  in  building,  composed  of  burnt 
limestone  and  sand. 

Mouldings.  The  small  projecting  orna- 
ments of  columns,  &c. 

Mullions.  The  framework  of  a  Gothic 
window. 

Mural.    Belonging  to  a  wall. 

Museum.  A  repository  of  scientific  and 
literary  curiosities. 

Mutule.  A  projecting  ornament  of  the 
Doric  cornice. 

Nave.    The  middle  part  of  a  church. 

Niche.  A  cavity  or  hollow  in  a  wall 
for  the  reception  of  a  statue. 

Obelisk.  A  monolithic  pillar  of  a  rec- 
tangular form,  diminishing  from 
the  base  to  the  top. 

Observatory.    A  building  for  astronomical  purposes. 

Odeitm,    A  kind  of  theatre  among  the  Greeks  for  poetical  and  musi- 
cal exhibitions. 

Oriel.    A  projecting  window. 

Ornaments.  The  smaller  or  more  detailed 
parts  of  a  work  that  serve  to  beautify 
and  enrich  a  building. 

Ovolo.  The  principal  member  of  the  Doric 
capital. 

Palace.    The  dwelling-house  of  a  king, 

prince,  bishop,  &c. 
Palisades.    Pales  or  stakes  set  up  for  an 

enclosure. 

Panel,  A  thin  board,  having  its  edges  in- 
serted into  a  surrounding  frame. 

Pedestal.  The  square  support  of  a  column, 
statue,  &c. 


Oriel. 


400 


A  GLOSSARY 


Pendant. 


Pediment.  The  triangular  member  of  a  building,  which  surmounts 
a  portico;  an  ornament  of  a  triangular  form  finishing  the  front 
of  a  building,  the  top  of  windows,  doors,  &c.  In  a  pediment,  an 
entablature,  conformed  to  the  order  of  the  building,  encloses  a 
space  called  the  tympanum. 

Pendant.  A  hanging  ornament  in  Gothic  groined 
roofs. 

Penetrale.    The  most  sacred  part  of  a  temple. 
Penitentiaries.    Formerly,  small  houses  where 

the  monks  retired  for  penance ;  at  present, 

houses  of  imprisonment. 
Pentagon.    A  figure  of  five  sides  and  five  angles, 
Pentastyle.    Having  five  columns  in  front. 
Peperino.    A  stone  much  used  by  the  Romans  in 

building;  that  found  near  Tivoli  is  called 

travertino. 

Peribolos.    A  walled  court,  sometimes  surrounding  a  temple. 

Peridome.  That  part  of  the  periplere, 
which  was  left  between  the  co- 
lumns and  the  walls. 

Periptere.    A  range  of  insulated  co-  'ij 
lumns,  distant  from  the  walls, 
surrounding  the   exterior  of  a 
temple. 

Peripteral.  Surrounded  with  a  perip- 
tere. 

Perpendicular.   When  a  straight  line 

stands  upon  a  horizontal  straight 

line,  so  that  the  angles  on  each 

side  are  equal,  or  right  angles. 
Perpendicular    Style.      In  Gothic 

Architecture,  the  last  period,  or  Florid  Gothic. 
Persians.    Figures  of  men  supporting  entablatures. 


Perpendicular  Style. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


401 


Persian  Architecture.  The  style  used  by  the  Persians. 
Persian  Capital. 

Perspective,  linear.  Shows  how  the  lines 
which  define  figure  appear  to  the  eye 
of  the  spectator,  according  to  the  point 
on  which  the  eye  is  fixed,  and  the  dis- 
tance of  the  objects. 

Pharos.    A  lighthouse. 

Piazza.  A  continued  archway  or  vaulting, 
supported  by  pillars. 

Pier.  A  mass  of  stone  supporting  a  vault  ; 
the  arches  of  a  bridge. 

Pilaster.  A  square  column,  generally 
engaged  in  the  wall,  having  its  propor- 
tions and  ornaments  of  the  order  of 
the  building  on  which  it  is  placed. 
The  Greeks  used  them  to  strengthen 
the  walls  of  the  cella  of  temples,  and 
called  them  antes. 


Persian  CapitaL 


Pilaster. 


Pinnacle. 


Pile.    Timber  driven  firmly  into  the  ground  for  foundations. 
Pillar.    Sometimes  used  as  synonymous  with  column ;  more  pro- 


26 


402 


A  GLOSSARY 


perly,  a  supporter  to  arches  having  no  fixed  proportions,  in 

Saxon,  Norman,  and  Gothic  Architecture. 
Pinnacle,    The  roof  of  a  house,  terminating  in  a  point,  and  in  some 

instances  with  an  ornamental  finishing. 
Pitch.    The  vertical  angle  of  a  roof. 

Plan.  The  draught  of  a  building,  taken  on  the  ground-floor,  showing 
the  form,  size,  distribution  of  the  rooms,  &c. ;  a  perspective 
plan,  is  exhibited  with  diminution,  according  to  the  rules  of  that 
science.    The  raised  plan  of  a  building  is  the  elevation. 

Plane.  A  surface  which  coincides  everywhere  with  a  right  line ; 
a  surface  which  is  everywhere  perfectly  true  and  level. 

Plank.  A  name  given  to  timber  which  is  less  than  four  inches 
thick,  and  thicker  than  a  board  which  is  an  inch  and  a  half. 

Plinth.  The  lower  member  of  a  base,  or  the  support  for  the  base  of 
a  column. 

Pointed  Style  of  Architecture,  called  the  Gothic. 
Polygon.    A  many-sided  figure. 

Porphyry.    A  hard  stone  susceptible  of  a  fine  polish,  much  used  by 

the  ancients. 
Portal.    The  arch  over  a  door  or  gate ;  a  gate. 
Portcullis.    A  strong  grating  of  timber  and  iron,  made  to  slide  up 

and  down  in  a  groove  within  the  portal  of  a  castle. 
Pwtico.    A  long  covered  space,  usually  supported  by  columns,  the 

sides  being  open. 
Postern.    A  small  door  or  gate  for  private  ingress  to  a  castle. 
Profile.    The  perpendicular  section  of  a  building. 
Projection.    A  branch  of  perspective. 
Pronaos.    The  front  porch  of  an  ancient  temple. 
Propyls.    Buildings  of  great  magnificence,  before  the  entrance  of 

ancient  temples. 
Propylon.    A  vestibule  or  avant-porte. 

Proscenium.    The  front  part  of  the  stage  of  the  ancient  theatres. 
Prostyle.    Temples  with  columns  only  in  front. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


403 


Pseudodipteroa.  A  mode  of  ar- 
ranging the  columns  of  a 
temple,  in  which  the  two 
fronts  had  eighteen  columns, 
and  the  sides  fifteen  or  six- 
teen. 

Pulpit.  The  place  in  a  church 
whence  the  sermon  is  pro- 
nounced. 

Pyldne.  Lofty  pyramidal  masses 
of  masonry,  placed  at  the 
entrance  of  temples  and  pa- 
laces by  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians. 

Pyramid.    A  solid  having  one 

of  its  sides,  called  the  base, 

a  plane  figure,  and  the  other 

sides  triangles,  their  points 

joining  in  one  point  at  the 

top,  called  the  vertex. 
Quadrangle.    Any  figure  with  four  angles  and  four  sides. 
Quarry.    A  place  out  of  which  stones  are  taken. 
Quatrefoil.    Supposed  to  be  derived  from  quatre- 

feuille,  four  leaves ;  an  ornament  with  four 

cusps. 

Quoins.    Stone  or  other  materials  put  in  the  cor- 
ner of  buildings  to  strengthen  them. 

Rafters.     The  secondary  timbers  of  a  house, 
which  are  let  into  the  great  beam. 

Rampart.    A  bank  of  earth,  to  protect  from  the 
cannonading  of  an  enemy. 

Recess.    A  depth  of  some  inches,  (or  feet,)  in  the  thickness  of  a 
wall. 


Pulpit. 


Quatrefoil. 


404 


A  GLOSSARY 


Rectangle.    A  figure  whose  angles  are  all  right  angles. 
Refectory.    An  eating-room. 

Relievo.    The  projecture  of  an  architectural  ornament. 
Reservoir.    An  artificial  pond  or  basin  to  collect  water. 
Reticulatum.    A  kind  of  masonry  among  the  Romans,  in  which  the 

stones  were  laid  diagonally. 
Ridge.    The  top  of  a  roof,  which  rises  to  an  angle. 
Right  Angle.    An  angle  of  ninety  degrees. 
Right-line.    A  line  perfectly  straight. 

Roman  Architecture.    The  manner  of  building  among  the  Romans. 
Roman  Ionic.    The  alteration  made  by  the  Romans  in  the  Grecian 
Ionic  order. 


Homan  Ionic.  Romanesque. 


Romanesque.  The  architectural  style  which  resulted  from  the 
decline  of  the  art  at  Rome,  e.g.^  Saxon,  Norman,  Lombard,  &c.; 
an  imitation  of  Roman  Architecture. 

Rose  Window.    A  circular  Gothic  window;  a  Catherine  wheel. 

Rotunda.    A  building  which  is  round,  within  and  without. 

Rough-casting.    A  coarse  mode  of  covering  cottages  with  mortar. 

Round  Churches.  Round  ancient  structures  in  England,  supposed 
by  some  to  have  been  built  by  the  Jews. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


405 


Rural  Architecture.  That  part  of  architecture  which  relates  to  the 
construction  of  picturesque  and  rustic  dwelling-houses  in  the 
country. 

Rustic.    A  mode  of  building  in  imitation  of  nature  ;  the  stones  left 

rough  on  the  outer  surface. 
Salient.  Projecting. 

Saloon.    A  lofty  hall,  usually  vaulted  at  the  top. 

Saracenic  Architecture.     The  architecture  of  the  Arabs,  Moors, 

Saracens,  &;c. 
Sarcophagus.    A  tomb  or  coffin  made  of  one  stone. 
Sash.    The  frame  which  holds  the  glass  in  windows, 
Saxon  Architecture.     The  architecture  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  ;  a 

barbarous  imitation  of  the  architecture  of  Rome. 
Scaffold.    A  frame  of  wood  for  masons  and  builders  to  stand  upon, 

while  working  on  the  higher  parts  of  an  edifice. 
Sepulchral  Monument.    Tombs  for  the  interment  of  the  dead. 
Seraglio.    The  palace  of  an  Eastern  prince ;  more  particularly  the 

apartments  of  the  women. 
Shaft.    The  cylindrical  part  of  a  column,  between  the  base  and  the 

capital. 

Shingles.    Small  pine  or  other  boards  used  for  the  covering  of  roofs. 
Shrine.    The  tomb  of  a  saint ;  place  of  deposit  for  a  sacred  relic. 
Skylights.    Windows  placed  in  roofs  to  give  light  to  staircases  and 

attic  apartments. 
Slating.    Covering  roofs  with  slates. 

Sleepers.  Timbers  laid  upon  walls  for  supporting  the  ground-joists 
of  floors. 

Soffit.    The  under  part  of  a  cornice. 

Sounding-hoard.    A  board  placed  over  a  pulpit  to  increase  sound. 
Spire.    A  steeple  which  diminishes  to  a  point. 


406 


A  GLOSSARY 


Stadium.    The  open  space  where  the  athletse  exercised  in  running. 
Stairs,    Steps  to  ascend  from  the  lower  part  of  buildings  to  the 
upper. 

Stanchion.    A  prop  or  support. 

Steeple.    An  appendage  to  a  church,  to  contain  the  bells,  rising  either 

in  the  form  of  a  tower  or  spire. 
Stone.    The  substance  which  is  employed  in  all  buildings  intended  to 

possess  durability.    Granite,  marble,  freestone,  &c. 
Story.    A  floor  or  flight  of  rooms. 
Stucco.    Cement  of  various  descriptions. 

Stylohate.  The  uninterrupted  basis  below  the  columns  of  a  temple  or 
other  edifice. 

Surbase.    The  mouldings  immediately  above  the  base  of  a  room. 
Syenite,  or  Sienite.    A  stone  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Syene, 

in  Egypt,  resembling  granite,  of  which  obelisks  were  frequently 

constructed. 

Tabernacle.    The  temporaiy  edifice  used  by  the  Israelites  in  the 

wilderness.    A  large  tent. 
Temple.    An  edifice  destined  for  religious  worship. 
Terra-cotta.    Baked  earth. 

Theatre.  A  building  appropriated  to  the  representation  of  dramatic 
spectacles. 

Timber.  Wood  used  for  building.  Ask  is  tough.  Elm  liable  to 
warp  and  shrink.  Beech  hard  and  close.  Poplar  not  durable. 
Birch  tough  but  not  durable.  Walnut  seldom  used.  Oak 
durable.    Chestnut,  for  inside  work,  stains.    Pine,  brittle. 

Tomb.    A  monument  raised  over  the  dead. 

Torus.    A  large  semicircular  moulding  used  in  the  bases  of  columns. 
Tout-ensemble.    The  general  or  whole  expression. 
Tower.    A  lofty  building  of  several  stories. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


407 


Transept.  An  open  passage  across  the 
body  of  a  church,  at  right  angles  with 
the  nave  and  choir. 

Tracery.  The  ornamenting  of  Gothic  win- 
dows. 

Trefoil.  An  ornament  in  Gothic  Architec- 
ture, consisting  of  three  cusps  in  a 
circle. 

Triclinium.  The  room  in  a  Roman  house 
where  company  was  received,  and 
seats  placed  for  their  accommodation. 

Triforium.  The  space  between  the  aisles 
of  a  church  and  the  clerestory. 

Triforia.  Three  galleries,  or  ranges  of 
seats,  above  each  other,  in  churches  or 
cathedrals. 

Triglyph.  An  ornament  of  the  Doric  frieze, 
consisting  of  three  parallel  nicks,  and 
supposed  by  some  to  represent  the  end 
of  beams. 

Triumphal  Arch.  A  monument  to  com- 
memorate a  victory. 

Truncated.    Cut  short. 
Turkish  Architecture.    See  Saracenic  Ar- 
chitecture. 
Turret.    A  small  tower. 


Transept. 


Turret. 


Tuscan  Order.    Not  properly  an  order,  but  a  Roman  style,  having 
the  frieze  ornamented  with  triglyphs  and  metopes. 


408 


A  GLOSSARY 


Tuscan  Order. 


Tympanum.    The  plane  triangle  of  a  pediment. 
Type.    The  canopy  over  a  pulpit. 

Unity.    A  harmonious  agreement  of  all  the  parts  of  a  building. 
University.    A  collection  of  buildings  for  the  most  liberal  education. 
Urn.    A  vase,  designed  to  preserve  the  ashes  of  the  dead. 
Yane.    A  plate  of  metal,  fixed  on  the  summit  of  a  steeple  or  other 

convenient  place,  to  show  the  direction  of  the  wind. 
Vase.  A  beautiful  vessel,  used  for  various  purposes  among  the  Greeks, 

Etrurians,  and  other  ancient  people. 
Vault.    An  arched  roof,  so  contrived  that  the  stones  which  form  it, 

support  each  other. 
Veneer,    A  thin  piece  of  valuable  wood,  for  covering  wood  of  a  more 

common  kind. 

Venetian  Window.    A  window  with  three  separate  apertures. 
Ventilation.    Free  admission  of  air. 
Vertical.  Opposite. 

Vestibule.    The  entrance  or  waiting  room,  to  ancient  buildings. 
Vestry.    A  room  adjoining  a  church  where  the  ministerial  vestments 
are  kept. 


OF  ARCHITECTURE. 


409 


Villa.    A  country  mansion  for  the  wealthy. 

Volute,    A  spiral  scroll,  in  the  Ionic  and  Composite  capitals. 

Vomitoria.    Gates  or  doors  in  the  ancient  amphitheatres,  by  which 

the  spectators  entered. 
Wagon-headed  Ceiling.    See  Cylindric  Ceiling, 
Wainscot.    The  wooden  lining  of  walls,  generally  in  panels. 
Walls.    A  body  of  masonry,  of  a  certain  thickness,  formed  of  stone 

or  bricks. 

Water-table.    A  projection  placed  to  carry  off  water. 
Weather-boarding.    Boards  lapped  over  each  other,  to  prevent  rain 

from  passing  through. 
Window.    An  opening  in  a  building  to  admit  light  to  the  interior. 


Wood.     (Ornamental.)     Ebony,   Rosewood,   Mahogany,  Curled 

Maple,  Bird's-eye  Maple,  Black  Walnut,  &c. 
Wreathed  Columns.    Columns  twisted  in  the  form  of  a  screw. 
Xenodochium.  A  hospital  or  inn  among  the  Greeks  for  the  reception 

of  strangers. 

Xystus.    A  spacious  portico  where  the  Grecian  athletae  exercised 
during  winter. 


410         A  GLOSSARY  OF  ARCHITECTURE. 
Zeta,    A  small  withdrawing  chamber. 

Zocle,  A  low  square  member  used  instead  of  a  pedestal  to  support  a 
column. 

Zotheca.  A  small  room  or  alcove  in  Grecian  villas,  which  might  be 
separated  from  the  room  to  which  it  adjoined,  by  curtains  or 
windows. 


INDEX. 


A. 


Aboriginal  Architecture,  -----  67 

Affectation  in  Style,       -          -          -          -          -  216 

Agrigentum,  Temple  at,  -          -          -          -          -  90 

Agrippa,  104 

Ahasuerus,  56 

Alexander  the  Great,     ...          -          -  93 

AJexandrine  Column,      -----  208 

Alhambra,         ------  129 

America,  Central,          -----  68 

Amiens  Cathedral,         -          -          -          -          -  163 

Anglo-Saxons,    ------  172 

Architecture,  Origin  of,  -          -          -          -          -  16 

Primitive,    -          -          -          -          -          -  19 

of  Babylon,           -----  22 

Nineveh,    ------  24 

Egyptian,   ------  27 

Ethiopian,  ------  28 

Hindoo,  47 

Persian,     ------  56 

Chinese,     ------  65 

Aboriginal,  67 

Cyclopean,  79 

Etruscan,  ------  80 


412 


INDEX. 


Architecture,  Grecian,    -          -          -  -  -  82 

Roman,  lOO 

Arabian,     ......  128 

Romanesque,          -          -          -  -  -  134 

Gothic,  149 

Domestic,  of  the  Middle  Ages,         -  -  -  170 

Revival  of,  -          -          -           -  -  -  185 

Classic,      -          -          -          -  -  -  185 

Present  state  of,  in  Europe,  ■          -  -  -  196 

Principles  of,          -          -          -  -  -  210 

American,  228 

Materials  for,         -          -          -  -  -  250 

Present  condition  in  the  United  States,  -  "       -  257 

Domestic,  in  the  United  States,        -  -  -  274 

Arch  of  Titus,    -          -          .          -  -  -  111 

Septimius  Severus,  -          -          -  -  -  112 

Constantine,           -           -          -  •  -  112 

Invention  of,          -          -           ■  -  76,  80,  100 

Arrangements  of  a  City,  -           -          -  -  -  314 

Assyrians,  25 

Athenseum,  Philadelphia,            ,          .  .  .  266 

Hartford,    ......  267 

Auburn,  Mount,  337 

Augustus,  the  Emperor,  -          .          -  -  .  44,  347 

Mausoleum  of,        -          -          -          -  -  116 

Aztecs,  78 

B. 

Babel,  Tower  of,           .....  22 

Babylon,          ......  22 

Bagdad,            -          -          -          -          -  -  129 


INDEX. 


413 


Balbec,  - 

Bank  of  Pennsylvania, 
United  States, 
North  America,  > 

Basilica, 

Baltimore, 

Batalha  Cathedral, 

Baths  of  Dioclesian, 
Caracalla,  ♦ 
Titus, 

Battery,  New  York, 

Battle  Monument, 

Beauty, 

Belus,  Temple  of, 

Belzoni, 

Bemal  Diaz, 

Boston,  - 
Colony, 
Common,  - 

Bramante, 

Bricks,  - 

Brunaleschi,  Felippo, 
Bulbous  Domes,  - 
Bute  Cottage, 


127,  343 
263 
263,  272 
410 
119 
268 
164 
117 
117 
118 
318 
268 
328 
24 
32 
78 
258 
236 
318 
193 
22 
185 
206 
284 


C. 


Caffre  Huts, 
Cairo,  - 
Cailliaud, 
Cambyses, 
Canara,  - 
Campo  Vaccino, 


19 
44 
28 
37 
49 
119 


414  INDEX. 

Capital  and  Entablature,            -          -          -          -  95 

Capitol,  Washington,      ....           -  267 

Indiana,     ......  269 

Capitoline  Hill,  -          -          -          -          -          -  119 

Castles,  English,           -----  174 

•Caryatides,  97 

Carnak,  43 

Casa  del  Gobernador,     -          -          -          -          -  73 

Catherwood's  "  Views,"  .....  67 

Cathedral  of  Chartres,     .....  356 

Strasburgh,            .....  359 

Florence,    ......  362 

Cologne,     -          -          -          -          -          -  162 

St.  Peter's,  -          -          -          -          -           -  186 

St.  Paul's,  -          -          -          -          -          -  191 

Caverns,  Egyptian,         .....  35 

Hindoo,  48 

Cecelia  Metella,  -          -          -          -          -          -  114 

Celestial  Empire,           -          -          -          -          -  64 

Cemeteries,        -          -          -          -          -          -  331 

Cephrenes,  Pyramid  of,  -          -          -          -          -  31 

ChampoUion,     .....           38,  43,  44 

Chambers,  Sir  William,  -          .          -          .          -  66 
Chapel  of  Henry  VII.     -          .          -           -  .159 

Monument,  334 

King's  College,       -          -          -          -          -  159 

Chateaubriand,   -          -          -          -          .      "*   ,  31 

Chaucer,  Geoffrey,         -                     -          -          -  159 

Chinese  Architecture,     .....  64 

Pagoda,      ....                    -  66 

Church  Extension  Society,         -          .          -          -  199 

Christ's  Church,  Hartford,          ....  269 

Cinquecento  Style,         -          .          -          -          -  193 


INDEX. 


415 


Civil  Architecture,         -          -          -          -          -  17 

Classic,  185 

Coliseum,          -          -          -          -          -          -  109 

Cologne  Cathedral,         -          -          -          .          .  162 

Colony  of  Jamestown,     -  229 

Plymouth,  ......  235 

New  York,            .....  238 

Philadelphia,  -  .  .  .  -      .  239 

Column  of  Trajan,         -          -          -          -          -  112 

Marcus  Aurelius,    -          -          -          -          -  113 

Composite  Order,  -  -  -  -  .102 

Constantinople,  .....  352,  354 

Corinthian  Order,          .....  94 

Cyclopean  Architecture,  .....  79 

D. 

Darius,  Tomb  of,           .          ....  57 

Decorated  Gothic,          •          .          -          -          -  156 

Delaware,  Lord,            -          -          .          .          -  231 

De  Lacy,          ......  33 

Diana,  Temple  of,         -          -          .          •          .  93 

Doric  Order,      ......  84 

Column,  .   .          -          .          .          .          .  84 

Entablature,           .....  85 

DuomoofPisa,  ......  355 

E. 

Eaton,  Governor,          -          -          -          -          -  237 

Early  English,  the,        .....  154 


416 


INDEX. 


Ecclesiastical  Architecture,         •  -    154, 198,  206,  293,  321 

Effect,  Architectural,      -          -          -          -          .  217 

Egyptian  Architecture,   -----  27 

Elephanta,         ......  48 

Elgin  Marbles,  86 

Elgin's,  Lord,  Apology,  -----  88 

Ellora,  .......  49 

Elizabethan  Style,         -  -  -  180,  200,  304,  313 

Elizabethan  Villa,  ....      284,  304,  306 

Erostratus,  the  incendiary,         -          -          -          -  93 

Erskine,  52 

Etruscan  Architecture,    ....          -  80 

Arch,        ......  80 

Exchange  Hotel,            -----  272 

Expression  in  Architecture,        -          -          -          -  211 

F. 

Feudal  System,  -----          .  170 

Fitness,  -          -          -          -          -          -          -  211 

Flavian  Amphitheatre,    -          -          -          -          -  109 

Florid  Gothic,    -          -          -          .          .          -  158 

Forum  Romanum,         -          -          -          -          -  119 

of  Trajan,  ------  120 

France,  Schools  of  Art  in,          -          -           .          -  225 

Free-Masonry,   -          -          -          -          -          -  148 

G. 

Galindo,  Colonel,          ...          -          -  79 

Girard  College,  264 

Glenn  Cottage,  286 


INDEX. 


417 


Gliddon, 
Gneiss,  - 

Golden  House  of  Nero,  - 
Gothic  Style, 

In  Germany, 

France, 

Spain, 

Portugal, 

Scotland, 

Origin, 

Early  English, 
Decorated,  - 
Perpendicular, 
Cottage,  ^  - 
Country  Church, 
in  Domestic  Architecture, 
Church,  Brooklyn,  - 
Hartford,  - 
Monument  Chapel,  - 
Reigate,  England,  - 
Trinity,  New  York, 
Granite, 

Grecian  Architecture, 
Orders, 
Houses,  . 

in  Public  buildings,  - 
in  Domestic  buildings. 

Green,  New  Haven, 

Greenwood  Cemeterv, 


27 


418 


INDEX. 


Haddon  House,  - 
Hartford, 

Hindoo  Architecture, 
Hindoos,  Character  of,  - 


Indiana,  Capitol  of,        -          -          «          .          .  269 

Indra  Subba,      ...           >           -           .  50 
Ionic  Order,       -          -          -          -          -       91,  292,  299 

Roman,      ......  163 

Israelites,          -          -          -          -          -           -  34 

J, 

Jachin  and  Boaz,           -          -          -          -           -  61 

Jewish  Architecture,       .....  59 

John  Smith,  Captain,      .....  229 

Jones,  Sir  William,        .....  27 

Juggernaut,  Temple  of,   -           -           -           -           -  54 

Jupiter  Ammon,  Temple  of,        -          -          -          -  40 

Olympus,  96 

K. 

Karnes,  Lord,     ......  325 

Keylas  the  Proud,          .....  59 


181 
269 
47 
52 


INDEX. 


419 


Kingsborough,  Lord,  75 

King's  College  Chapel,    ...          -          -  159 

King's  Chapel,  Boston,    ....          -  258 

Kosciusko,  Monument  of,           ...          -  337 

Kremlin,  207 

L. 

La  Renaissance,            -          -          -          -          -  194 

Latopolis,         ......  39 

Laurel  Hill,  337 

Le  Brun,  55 

Leaning  Tower  of  Pisa,  -  357 

Le  Noir,           ......  78 

LeoX.,  -          -          •          -          .          .          -  186 

Log  Cabins,       ------  21 

Lombardic  Church,        -          -          -          -          -  147 

Louis  Quatorze  Style,     -          -          -          -          -  194 

Luxor,  36 

Lyons,  School  of  Art,     -----  224 


M. 


Marble,  -------  251 

Meeting  Houses,            ....          -  241 

Melrose  Abbey,  -          -          -          -          -          -  165 

Meroe,  -------  28 

Metals,  253 

Mexico,  68 

Michael  Angelo,            -          -          -           -          -  187 

Minarets,           •          -          -          -          -          -  129 


420 


INDEX. 


Mint,  United  States,  .....  252 

Minerva  Parthenon,  -           -           -           -           -  86 

Monument  of  Cecelia  Melella,      -          -          -          -  114 

Caius  Cestius,  -           -           -           -           -  115 

Plautius  Family,  -  -  -  -  -116 

to  the  Swiss,  .....  336 

Bunker's  Hill,   259 

Washington,  -----  268 

Battle,  268 

Kosciusko,  -  337 

Lysicrates,  -          -          -          -          -  96,265 

Alexandrine,  -  -  -  -  '128 

Moorish  Architecture,  ....          -  128 

Arch,         .  -          -          -          -           -  130 

Mosque  of  Omar,  -  128 

N. 

Naumachia,       ......  347 

New  Amsterdam,  .....  238 

New  Haven,  270 

Colony,  236 

Green,  319 

New  Orleans,  272 

New  York,        ....  238,  260,  284,  285,  317 

Nero's  Golden  House,  -          -          -          -          -  127, 349 

Nineveh,  24 

Nile,  29 

Norman  Architecture,  -          -          -          -          -  140 


INDEX. 


421 


O. 


Obelisks,  36 

Olympeium,       ------  96 

Ornament  in  Architecture,          -          -          -          -  213 

Oxburgh  Hall,    -          -          -          -          -          -  183 

P. 

Psestum,  Tennples  of,      -----  90 

Pagoda  Indian,   ------  54 

Chinese,      ------  66 

Palace  of  the  King  of  Bavaria,     -          -          -          -  200 

Pimlico,      ------  201 

Palmyra,  -  108,  127,  343 

Pantheon  at  Rome,         -          -          -          -          -  104 

Paradise,           -          -          -          -          -          -  18 

Paris,  Schools  of  Art,      -----  225 

Paulus  Emilius,  -          -          -          -          -          -  101 

Penn,  William,  ------  239 

Peterborough  Cathedral,  -----  141 

Perpendicular  Gothic,      -          -          -          -          -  158 

Persian  Architecture,      -----  55 

Persepolis,         ------  55 

Persians,           •          -          -          -          -          -  97 

Peveril  of  the  Peak,        -----  178 

Philadelphia,      -----     239,  263,  288 

Pilgrim  Fathers,  ------  235 

Pinacotheca,       -          -          -          -          -          -  117 

Pliny's  Villa,      ------  56 


422 


INDEX. 


Plutarch,           -          -          -  -  -  -  101 

Plymouth  Colony,          .....  235 

Pointed  Arch,     -          -          -  -  -  -  151 

Pon>peii,           -          -          -  -  -  -  121 

Portcullis,          -           -           -  -  -  -  177 

Porter,  Sir  Robert  Ker,   -          -  -  -  -  23 

Post  Office,  General,       .....  267 

Potomac  Freestone,        -  252 

Prescott's  Conquest  of  Mexico,     -  -  -  -  70 

President's  House,          -          -  -  -  -  267 

Principles  of  Architecture,          ....  210 

Proportion  in,     -          -          -  -  -  -  213 

Pyramids,  Egyptian,      -----  29 

Q. 

Qualifications  for  an  Architect,    -  -  -  -  219 

R. 

Raphael  D'Urbino,         -          -  -  -  -  118 

Rheims  Cathedral,         -          -  -  -  -  163 

Rochester  Castle,           -           -  -  -  -  174 

Roman  Architecture,      -          -  -  -  -  100 

Orders,      -          -          -  -  -  -  102 

Roads,       -          -          -  -  -  -  104 

Temples,    -          -          -  -  -  -  104 

Tombs,      -          -          -  -  -  -  114 

Forii,  119 

Amphitheatres,       -  -        -  -  -  -  119 

Rome,  under  Augustus,  -  397 


INDEX.  423 

Romanesque  Style,         -  I34 
in  England,            -           -          -           -  -136 

Ireland,  142 

Scotland,     -          -          -           -          -           -  146 

Germany,  146 

Italy,         -           -           .           .           .           -  147 

France,      ......  149 

Rouen  Cathedral,           •           -          -           .           .  iqi 

Round  Towers  of  I releind,           ....  144 

Scotland,    -           -           -          -           -           -  146 

Roxbury  Highlands,       -  2S6 

Russian  Edifices,           -  205 

S. 

Saccara,  Pyramids  of,     -          -          -          -          .  34 

Saint  Paul  on  Mars  Hill,            -           -           .           -  qq 

at  Ephesus,           .....  94 

St.  Etienne,  Church  of,  -           -           -           -           -  149 

St.  Paul's,  London,        .....  igi 

St.  Peter's,  Rome,          -           -           -           .           -  186 

Saxon  Architecture,       -           -           -           -           -  137 

School  of  Art,    -  224 

Selinus,  Temples  at,       -          -           ...  39 

Sicily,  Ancient  Temples  in,        -          -          -          .  S9 

Sidon,    .......  26 

Sienite,  251 

Simplicity  in  Style,        -          -          -           -           .  2I6 

Sir  Christopher  Wren,    -           -           -           .          -  191 

Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,      .....  290 

Sir  Philip  Sidney,          .....  2OI 

Slate,    -------  253 


424 


INDEX. 


Solomon's  Temple,  -          -          -           -          .  60 

State  House,  Boston,  .....  258 

Strasburgh  Cathedral,  -          -          .          .          -  161 

Syracuse,  Temple  at,  -          -          -           -          -  89 


T. 


Tabernacley       -          -          -          -          -          -  20 

Tanjore,           ......  54 

Temples,  Egyptian,        -----  35 

Hindoo,      .          .          -          -          -           .  48 
Subterranean,         -          -           -          -          -49,  53 

Jewish,      ------  60 

Grecian,     -  .  -  .  .  86,  93,  96 

Roman,      ....           -  104,  108 

Tents,    -------  20 

Teocalli,  Mexican,         -          -          -           -          -  69 

Thebes,  -          -          -          -          -           -          -  35,  44 

Thsing-chi-hoang-ti,       -           -          ...  64 

Titus,  Arch  of,  -           -          -          -           -          -  111 

Tombs  of  Etruria,  81 

of  the  King's,         -----  56 

of  the  Scipios,        -          -          -          -          -  116 

Towns,  170 

Trajan's  Column,          -          -           -           -          -  112 

Treasury  Department,    -          -          -          -          -  267 

Trees,  301 

Trinity  Church,  N.  Y.,  -          -          -          -          -  261 

Trichinopoly,     -          -          -          -          -          -  54 

Tuscan  Order,   -          -           -          -          -          -  102 

Tyre,    -          -          -          -          -          -          -  26 


INDEX. 


425 


U. 


United  States,  Architecture  in,    -          -          -          -  257 

Bank,        -          -          -          -          -          -  263 

Use  of  the  Grecian  Orders,        -          -          -          -  289 

Gothic  Style,         -----  293 

Elizabethan,          -----  302,304 

Utility,  210 

of  the  Fine  Arts,     -----  329 

Uxmal,  -------  72 

V. 

Valentia,  Lord,  -          -          -          -          -          -  54 

Vesta,  Temple  of,         -          -          -          -          -  1 07 

Villa  of  Pliny,    -          -          -          -          -          -  122 

of  the  Emperor  Adrian,      -          -          -          -  126 

Elizabethan,  -  -  -         284,  304,  306,  307 

Virginia,  Buildings  of,     •          -          -          -          -  234 

Visvacarma,      ------  52 

Vitruvius,          -          -          -          -          -          -  96,  185 

W. 

Waldeck,          -----          ,  79 

Walter  Scott,     -          -          .          .          ,          -  166 

Washington,      -          -          -          -          .          -  267 

Monument,  268 

Wen-ti-chang-tching,      •          •          -          -          -  65 


426 


INDEX. 


Wigwams,         -          -           -  -          -          .  19 

William  the  Conqueror,  -          -  -          -          -  174 

Windsor  Castle,  -          -          -  -          .          .  179 

Windows,  308 
Wood,    .......  254,255 

Wren,  Sir  Christopher,   -          -  -          -          -  191 

X. 

Xerxes,  -          -          -          .  ...  55 

Y. 

Yale  College  Library,    -          -  -          .          -  *  270 

Yucatan,  72 

Z. 

Zodiac  at  Dendera,        •          -  -          -          -  42 

THE  END. 


GETTY  ^^^^"^^^llll^^^ 
^    3  3125  01451  5833 


